Seoul Daddy

Moving to Posterous

2010-04-27T23:37:00.000-07:00

I've had a long love affair with Blogger, but (at least for now) it's over. I'm moving my main blog over to Posterous (http://danielcraig.posterous.com). I've been blogging there for a while and thought it would be a good idea just to move all of the contents of the old blog over where I'm actually updating.

Blogger has been suitable for years, but when they shut off ftp for blogs hosted externally, that was it for me. Posterous just works easier and better for the way that I interact online now.

By, for now, Blogger.

Blogger is cutting me off

2010-02-02T19:47:00.000-08:00

I all (as if I'm talking to a large readership ;-)

Blogger is turning off FTP support, so this is the end of this blog as it current stands. That doesn't mean that the blog is dead, it just means that I'm going to move to a WordPress blog as I should have long ago (pure laziness). However, until I get around to that there won't be much posted here (really not much of a change, is it?).

Professor records made public on Sangmyung site - INSIDE JoongAng Daily

2009-12-03T21:30:00.000-08:00

Professor records made public on Sangmyung site - INSIDE JoongAng Daily

Well, I guess my record is going to be there, but I have no clue how to find it yet. Not sure what they are going to rank me on during my first semester. I'm going to guess I won't make an appearance there until next year.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. As I still don't completely understand how these rankings are made, it's tough to comment. However, I can say that I'm not too enthusiastic about the idea of a university ranking its professors. Actually, I'm not really into rankings in general. I don't see them as useful.

The stated purpose of this policy is to provide prospective students with information on the quality of professors at the university, which currently seems to only be available with student/staff ID and login, so I'm not sure how prospective students will access it. I can see how one would be tempted to rank faculty for this purpose, but what does ranking really tell us? It tells us only how these professors ranked (on yet unknown criteria) against other professors at the school. The only reason I can see to do this is to increase competition and to shame non-performers into action. And this, in the end, is not going to increase overall quality.

What this type of ranking system will do is encourage professors to play to the numbers. Student evaluations low? Give less homework. Need more publications? Push out low-quality research to boost your numbers? This reminds me of the overall education system, geared towards ever-better test scores. Quality be damned, just get a good score. When the tail wags the dog, we should all be scared.

What I would like to see is not a ranking system, but simply a public reporting on professor performance in the same areas that they measure for the rankings. In my opinion, that would be much better. Let people determine for themselves the overall quality of the faculty. This method would also allow people to better compare faculties between schools. A ranking within a school, does allow for this.

In the end, this post may be all wrong. Like I said, I haven't seen the rankings and I don't know for sure how they are calculated and presented. However, any use of rankings is not only an affront to academic professionals, it is a cold, meaningless measure of a professors worth.

Locking down your Facebook account

2009-11-21T19:53:00.000-08:00

Online social networks were not really created to protect information. They were built to share as much as possible. This has become problematic for many people who find their information oozing out of their accounts in ways that they didn't anticipate. Most often this is a human to human problem, in other words, gossip. This is never going to be solved by technological means. However, the inadvertent loss of control of ones data can be managed to an extent with privacy tools provided.

First, I'll give you advice that my father gave me long ago..."Never put it in writing" :-) Maybe a strange thing to say to your young son, but it's served me well over the years. Never record, in any way, things that you wouldn't be ok with the world seeing. However, I do understand that there are things that you would rather not broadcast to the world if you can help it, so modifying privacy settings in your online social network is a good way to address that.

Below is a quick and dirty text tutorial on locking down your Facebook account. If you do all of the following, your account and information will be as private as possible.....however, your Facebook experience will be quite limited too. That's your choice.

Regardless, good to see you're here.

If it's a problem of too much information available to the world, you can set your settings to essentially share nothing. However, you would still be able to send/receive messages (internal email) and comment. Of course, there is nothing stopping your "friends" from tagging you in pictures, notes, and such, but if that's the problem, unfriend them (which, it seems, is what you did before).

Here's how to go about locking down your account.

Click on "Settings" in the upper, right of the page.
Find "Privacy" and click on the "manage" link to the right of it.
First, you can block someone from even being able to see you in searches. You can do this by Facebook account or by email. If you're having problems with particular people, use this.
Click on the "Profile" link on the privacy page (the blue link, not the white one across the top). Next to each of the categories, there is a drop-down list. From this list, select "Custom". Each of the categories will give you slightly different options here. Select the most restrictive ones. "Only Friends" is an obvious choice, but some allow you to specify "Only Select Friends" or even "Only me". Additionally, you will have to select which Networks have access, choose "None of my Networks". The networks setting is the biggest privacy hole in Facebook. People often don't realize that their entire network (say, Joliet) has access to their info. Lastly, you can set exceptions for some categories. So, you can specifically add peope who you want to, for example, see photos that are tagged with your name. This is good for specific family and friends who you want to see these things. When you are finished, click "Save Changes"
Click on the "Contact Information" tab and make the same choices as in #4. I'd suggest being a little freer with your email address and a little more restrictive with phone, address, and so forth. When you're done, click "Save Changes"
Click on "Privacy" again to get back to the main privacy settings page. Then click on "Search". you can restrict who can see you in a search. In most cases, you probably want to keep this as open as possible, but you may have reasons to restrict it. Below that, however, is a section that describes what people can see when they search for you. I usually suggest leaving these checked: picture and a link to add me as a friend, at a minimum (otherwise people won't be able to find you. Lastly, there is an option to have public search. This means that your Facebook account will show up in a search like Google. Good if you want people to find you, bad if you don't :) When you are finished, click "Save Changes".
Click on the "Privacy" link again to get back to the privacy setting page. Click on the "News Feed and Wall" link. Uncheck all of these for maximum privacy. This stops, to an extent, your activities from being posting on yours or your friends' news feeds. When you are finished, click "Save Changes"
Click on the "Privacy" link to get back to the main privacy settings page. Click on the "Applications" link. You can read the info on this page to get a better idea of what this is for, but to change settings, click on the "Settings" tab. The first set of settings essentially tells you that you are sharing your name, networks, and list of friends with applications that you are using in Facebook. The only way to turn this off is to delete those applications (I'll tell you about this later). Do make sure that you aren't sharing anything extra. Uncheck any checkbox that is checked.

The next setting that you can change is Facebook Connect. This is the program that lets you log into other websites with your Facebook login. It also tracks you to a great degree. Make sure to uncheck that box. It doesn't turn this off, but it does make sure that "friends" don't know what sites you use it on.

Finally, the next setting is about Beacon. This is Facebook's social advertising platform. Definately check this box. You do not want your network notified when you buy your wife's Christmas present or other, more sensitive things :)

When you are done, click "Save Changes"
We're done with the privacy settings, but there's one more place to go to really lock down your account. We need to manage applications. Go to the settings link on the upper, right of the page. You will see a drop-down list of options, click on "Application Settings". On this page, you will see another drop-down list of items that dictate what "Show" in this list. Choose "Authorized" to see the best list of applications. The easiest way to control these is to delete all applications that can be deleted. These have X's on the right side of the listed application. By deleting the applications, then can do nothing on your behalf in Facebook. Of course, you can no longer use them either.

With the remaining applications, you can adjust some (not many) options by clicking on "Edit Settings". I'd suggest limiting who can see it as much as you see fit. At least, "Only Friends" but even "Only Me" might be a good idea.

That's all. Your account is locked down as much as possible now. You can always go back and open settings up a little as you become more comfortable or see more of a need to do so.

Please, add your advice below.

Google Wave - Easy List of Bots and Gadgets

2009-11-13T07:42:00.000-08:00

The real power of Google Wave is not in the basic collaboration that it provides, but rather the bots and gadgets that live on the platform. I don't know why, but I couldn't find a nice, easy list that would enable to to quickly add these to my Waves. So, I went through all that I could find and listed them here.

Please feel free to add more to the comments and I'll add them to the list.

The list of Bots are ones that you have to add to the Wave in order to work.

The list of Gadgets are two forms. Most are ones that have to be installed. They end in manifest.xml. These have to be installed through the down arrow next to the "New Wave" button. The others (gadget URL) can be added using the green puzzle piece that appears in the toolbar when editing a blip.

Gadgets

Chess Gadget (http://gerculanum.appspot.com/gadgets/com.example.chessgadget.client.ChessGadget.gadget.xml )

Magnetic Poetry (http://wave-api-dmo .appspot.com/public/fridge .xml )

Bidding Gadget (http://wave-api.appspot.com/public/gadgets/bidder.xml )

Rating Gadget (http://pesta.appspot.com/gadgets/ratings/ratings.xml )

Opensocial Templates (http://wave-api.appspot.com/public/gadgets/wave.xml )

Progressy (http://hafstroms .net/wave /progressy /manifest.xml) Adds a progress bar to the wave that can be used to show how far a projekt or checkpoint has to go. Live public wave

Pick Several (http://www.randomhacks .net/gadgets/pickseveral /manifest.xml) Pick one or more choices from a list (aka approval voting).

Voicy (http://wave-gadgets.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/voicy /manifest.xml) A voice recording/messaging/sharing system. A new way to share greetings, thoughts and brainstormings with real voice communication. Shows tabs, flash integration, identifying the current viewer and customizing the gadget accordingly (between Host and non-host, giving the host more options), Shows retrieving participant information (name) dynamically, shows communication via postMessage to/from external page in iframe, use of set/get state to dynamically update everyone's message list in realtime, shows the use of persistent data through gadget's prefs.

Mind Map Gadget (http://cactus-wave.appspot.com/mindmap.xml) A Mindmap gadget which allows for collaborative editing of hierarchical data and ideas, including icons, import and export to freemind, voting and drag & drop.

MyTweet on a Wave (http://haru1ban-wave.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/twitter/manifest.xml) A gadget to collaboratively browse twitter streams.

Wave Dice Gadget (http://wavedicegadget.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/manifest.xml) Simple dice rolling gadget that supports standard PnP dice types. Full wave support, so other users can see your rolls immediately.

Nimbb Gadget (http://service.nimbb.com/GoogleWave/installer.xml) Sample gadget to add webcam video recording to any wave.

tic-tac-toe (gadget URL: http://tic-tac-toe-for-wave.googlecode.com/files/tic-tac-toe.xml) A pencil-and-paper game for two players, O and X, who take turns marking the spaces in a 3×3 grid.

Google News Gadget (gadget URL: http://hosting.gmodules.com/ig/gadgets/file/112392185100245511748/newsgadget .xml ) Search and share google news in real time with your friends. You can search in private mode as well.

Brainstorming (gadget URL: http://www.madin.jp/gadget/index.xml) A simple brainstroming tool to collaborate on an idea tree. Participants can add, edit and move nodes.

Cards (http://wave-cards.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/manifest.xml) Play card games in Wave. Almost any game is possible!

Pongy (http://playpongy .appspot.com/manifest.xml) is a real-time 2 player Pong game written to run as a Google wave gadget.

Piano Gadget (gadget URL: http://wave-instruments.appspot.com/gadget/piano.xml) Piano in your Wave.

Plus One (gadget URL: http://www .elizabethsgadgets.appspot.com/public/gadget.xml) Add this gadget to a blip to allow viewers to vote "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" on it. The gadget keeps track of the number of votes for each.

Wave Blogadget (gadget URL: http://hosting.gmodules.com/ig/gadgets/file/116844733254275818014/blogadget.xml) Use this configurable gadget to easily embed any wave into any site that supports gadgets.* (i.e. iGoogle, Orkut, Ning, Blogger, or any FriendConnect enabled site). Simpler than using the Embed API, and offers configuration options.

Canvas (gadget URL: http://ichikawa-public.appspot.com/wave/canvas/canvas.xml) You can draw picture and other people can see it and modify it in real time.

Coin Toss Gadget (http://cointoss.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/cointoss.xml) Use the Coin Toss gadget to decide who buys the next lunch or who should bring donuts to the next meeting. Heads you win, tails you lose. 1. Fill out a title for you "contest" 2. Select who will be "heads" and who will be "tails" 3. Click "Flip Coin" and let the Coin Toss Gadget determine the winner.

HTML Gadget (gadget URL: http://wav e-ide .appspot.com/html.xml) Allows you to add any piece of HTML inside a wave.

Napkin (gadget URL: http://my-wave-gadgets.appspot.com/wave/NapkinGadget .xml) Adds the ability to do quick "back of a napkin" sketches to a wave - collaborative doodling!

Click Me (gadget URL: http://wave-api.appspot.com/public/gadgets/hellowave .xml) Shows a button with a counter. Each time the button gets clicked, the counter is incremented by one.

BOTS

The Wikify bot (wikifier@appspot.com) adds links to and definitions from Wikipedia to your waves for a given topic. When you add Wikify to a wave, it provides instructions on how to add a link to Wikipedia for a topic, or a definition of that topic.

The CleanTXT bot (cleantxt@appspot.com) is an automated janitor for a wave, especially helpful on active waves with lots of participants, like public waves. When CleanTXT is participating in a Wave, it automatically deletes empty blips, reduces repetitive blank lines in a blip, automatically corrects common typos (such as a mistyped "teh" for "the"), and inserts missing spaces after commas and semi-colons.

Polly the Pollster (polly-wave@appspot.com) lets you create multiple choice polls with custom questions and answers

The TwitUsernames bot (twitusernames@appspot.com) inspects the content of any wave it's participating in, and converts any word that starts with an @ sign to a user link to Twitter.

The XMPP Lite bot (wave-xmpp@appspot.com) sends you notifications of a wave's changes via XMPP (an instant messenger protocol).

Madoqua Wave Bot (blog-bot@appspot.com). When added to a wave, this bot provides customizable JavaScript code you can copy and paste into any web page to embed a wave.

The Emoticony bot (emoticonbot@appspot.com) converts textual smiley faces into smiley face images.

To embed an image that's already online, add the Inbeddable bot (inbeddable@appspot.com) to your wave, and simply add the URL of the image to it. When you click Done (or press Shift+Enter), Inbeddable will turn the link image into the image itself

The Easy Public bot makes waves public without public@a.gwave.com's disappearing act. Add it to any wave to give everyone on the Wave server access to your wave. What Easy Public does is add the public@a.gwave.com contact to your wave for you.

Eliza the Robot Shrink (elizarobot@appspot.com) is a programmed therapist who chats with you in Wave.

The Swedish Chef bot (borkforceone@appspot.com) inserts "Bork bork bork!" into your waves.

Flippy (flippy-wave@appspot.com) flips the text of your waves upside down—great for some April Fool's Day fun.

Grauniady (grauniady@appspot.com) searches the latest items from The Guardian for a given phrase.

Cartoony (cartoonybot@appspot.com, Java source code) - Should replace the text of every submitted blip with a cartoon balloon that contains the text instead.

Yasr (wave-api-dmo@appspot.com, Python source code) - It replaces emoticons in the wave with smiley images.

Complety (wave-complete@appspot.com, Python source code) - Replaces “???” in a blip with a suggested word.

Bloggy (blog-wave@appspot.com ) adds wave to blog.

Stocky (stocky-wave@appspot.com) automatically detects stock symbols from a wave and updates it with the live stock price.

mywaveid (mywaveid@appspot.com ) adds wave id to the wave. not sure what a wave id is.

Craig's List Search (craigslist-searchy@appspot.com ). Search Craig's list.

Messy the Wave Robot (messy-robot@appspot.com ) integrates with the Ericsson Labs API "SMS Send & Receive" and makes it possible to have a 2-way communication via SMS in a Wave. After entering a special syntax in a Wave, a participant can trigger an SMS delivery to another user, e.g. to someone not currently online. The user that receives the SMS can reply to it and the reply gets posted to the conversation in the Wave.

Norton SafeWave (nortonwave@appspot.com) This robot will validate any links typed into a wave conversation. The links are validated against the Norton SafeWeb API (http://safeweb.norton.com). This will keep waves safe from phishing links, malware sites and infected sites.

Translabot (translabot@appspot.com ) Translation bot.

Dr. Musical Wave (dr-music@appspot.com) Dr. Music will tell you: 1. What a last.fm user is listening to you (includes you) 2. Music compatibility between people 3. Similar artists to an artist you like All of this with pictures to make it colorful. Once you add Dr. Music he'll tell you how you can get him to do things for you.

Ego Robot (kimalvetti@appspot.com) A simple, but entertaining robot designed to stroke your ego. It will reply to all your blips with 'praise phrases' like "You're Very Talented".

Row of Four (rowoffour@appspot.com) Connect Four bot

Drubot (ethos-drubot@appspot.com) Post Wave to Drupal.

Notify (wave-email-notifications@appspot.com) Google Wave Email Notifications it's a wave robot that sends an email to the participants of a wave whenever the wave is updated.

Tagdef (tagdef@appspot.com) This wave looks for #hashtags in your wave/blips, and uses the API at http://tagdef.com to look up definitions for these tags. It then adds a reply to the wave with the definitions.

Tuxaios (tuxaios@appspot.com) is a dice rolling robot for Google Wave written in Python.

Skimmy (wave-skimmy@appspot.com) change text to emoticon.

WordPress Bot (wp-bot@appspot.com) add wave to WordPress.

Starify (starifybot@appspot.com) allows you to star waves and load the list of starred waves later. Visit http://wave.to/robots/starifybot/ for more information.

Rssybot (rssybot@appspot.com) lets your watch RSS feeds from Google Wave. Just add it to a wave, enter the link to the RSS feed you want to subscribe to and wait for new posts to appear in your inbox as unread blips. For more information, visit: http://www.wave.to/robots/rssybot/

Treeify (treeify@appspot.com) Multi-wave robots are agents that in some way operate on more than one wave. Treeify is a multi-wave robot which lets you connect waves into tree structures. With it you can build and navigate trees of waves.

Wave Live Messenger (wavelivemessenger@appspot.com) allows you to log in to your Windows Live Messenger account from within Google Wave and have conversations with your messenger contacts right from within a wave. Even if you leave the wave and start reading a different wave, Wave Live Messenger will keep your conversation up to date so you can return to it at any time and continue chatting. For more details, visit: http://www.wave.to/robots/wavelivemessenger

Google Calendar Robot (calendar-robot@appspot.com) Robot recognizes date pattern in form YYYY-MM-DD ('.' or '/' can be used for separator also) and updates it to link to add an event to user's Google Calendar.

Wave Alpha (py-robot@appspot.com) Wolfram-Alpha query.

Buddy as Service (buddyasaservice@appspot.com) Buddy as a Service is a wave robot, using Yahoo YQL API, Google API and other services to do searches and some other stuff (translations, weather forecast, etc) for you.

Regexey (regexey@appspot.com) This is a simple find-and-replace robot. After you add it, it will display an introduction message. Then any blip you create should be of the format: seach string replace string text to process It will search for the "search string" in the "text to process" and replace it with the "replace string." Then it will append the results in a reply blip.

Graphy (graph-wave@appspot.com) extends Google Wave with the ability to collaborate on flow charts and graphs. Graphy searches for a marker (#!dot) at the top of a blip, and when found, adds a gadget to the bottom of the blip which presents an image of the graph. Graph edges are expressed with simple statements like a -> b

Reddit (wave-reddit@appspot.com) This robot is able to post the top articles from Reddit.com and any sub-reddits. Simply reply to a wave for which it has been invited with the word "reddit" followed by a colon ":" and then the name of the subreddit (or "homepage"). You can specify the number of articles to return by appending an additional colon ":" followed by the number of articles. Examples: reddit:wave, reddit:pics:15, reddit:technology

Posterous (posterous@appspot.com) Post wave to Posterous.

Blogbot (blogbot-wave@appspot.com) Organizes related waves (blog posts, FAQ, etc) in a central Table of Contents wave.

Magic 8 Ball (magic-8ball@appspot.com) Sees and Knows All. Just add this Robot to your wave and ask the magic 8-ball any question and receive your answer.

Piratify Robot (piratify@appspot.com) Turns whatever you type into "Pirate Speak" .. Arrrr.

Google Wave Drupal Integration (drupalembedbot@appspot.com) A Drupal module and corresponding robot that enabled the embedding of Google Waves embedding, robot.

BotURL (boturl@appspot.com) Replaces FULL URLs with hyperlinks whose title are the domain names. Replaces TinyURLs/ bit.ly URLs with original URL domain names and links them to the original URLs.

Censorship Robot (censorshiprobot@appspot.com) Google wave robot, that filters specific words from dictionary and then replaces with random chars. The dictionary can be updated from any blip with two commands: censor:someword - add someword to dictionary uncensor:someword - remove someword from dictionary

Converts-y (convertsy@appspot.com) Convert units from one type to another. 1.23km (?miles) -> 1.23km (0.76 miles).

Embeddy (embeddy@appspot.com) Embeds Wave into Web.

Embedded Search Results (wave-sandbox@appspot.com) This simple robot allows you to quickly and easily perform a search and have the results embedded in your Wave. Currently supports Google & Flickr Searches. Support for more search providers will be coming soon. For full information visit http://wave-sandbox.appspot.com.

Anti-swear Bot (invectivedeleted@appspot.com) A simple bot in Python that stops people being rude on a wave it is added to. Note: The rude words have been blocked out in the screenshot to avoid offending anyone.

Complety (wave-complete@appspot.com) Uses the Google Search API to replace "???" in a blip (after it's submitted) with a suggested word.

7 Bad Writing Habits You Learned in School | Copyblogger

2009-11-04T20:13:00.000-08:00

7 Bad Writing Habits You Learned in School | Copyblogger

Some good suggestions for writing instruction/learning.

As teachers of the written form, we have to make a decision. The decision is on the level of structure our class takes as well as the level of structure we teach. Do you have a class that has very precise, explicit grammar instruction, prompts, rubrics, and so forth? Or do you have a class that is more fluid, creative, and subjective?

I'm not saying that we have to choose one, the art is really in the mix.

Google Books - Exporting Citations

2009-10-22T08:15:00.000-07:00

Google Books is becoming one of the most useful tools for researchers out there. Pair this with Google Scholar and, if you are lucky, network authentication from a university that has deals with the publishing companies and article databases and many of us can avoid the physical library entirely (especially if you include document delivery service and interlibrary loan). This is fantastic news for scholars living away from their university, namely distance education students and master's/doctoral students finishing up their theses/dissertations (me, for instance).

Anyway, with more and more searches leading to Google Books I was going nuts trying to figure out how to export citations. I knew it had to be there. I don't know why this was so difficult to figure out or why Google doesn't directly have it on their page (not really geared toward scholars). Here is what I finally found (thanks New Mexico State University Library for the tip)

Once you find a book in Google Books this is what you do.

On the left side, under the "Get this book" category, click on the second to last link, "Find in a library"
Clicking on "Find a library" opens the book's information page on World Cat.
On the upper right, click on "Cite/Export"
In the window that opens, you can choose to copy a citation (cool function) or export.
Click on the export option that best works for you, "RefWorks" or "EndNote"

Of course, this doesn't make the process grabbing citations for edited chapters, but I guess they can't do all the work for us, can they?

Social promotion and the direction of schools

2009-05-19T18:19:00.000-07:00

The following was a response to a comment on my posting about Ombama's education agenda (at the time of publication). Given the length (it wouldn't completely publish in the comments), I thought that I would just make it a post.

It reads a lot like a comment. The organization could use a lot of work, but this isn't a paper now, is it? :)

The original comment was criticizing social promotion (age-based grouping) in schools.

I agree that age-based tracking is the wrong approach. The justification is that students who are in classes with younger OR older students have affective issues. This is certainly possible (and even likely), but I feel that the greater good will be served by ability-based tracking. This is also an issue of socialization. When this becomes the norm, those affective issues with fade to a large extent.

Of course, we could just do nothing, just stay the course. We can continue to sail straight into the abyss :)

I'm not one of those people who scream 21ST CENTURY SKILLS down the halls of the schools. I don't really believe that 21st century skills are fundamentally different than 20th century skills. The tools are certainly different, but the skills of critical thinking are the same now as they always have been. The greatest difference is the ability to filter out all the junk. However, I do believe that 21st century schools should/will be significantly different than 20th century schools. This view comes from the landscape of changing technologies, societal needs, and global competition/resources.

Changing technologies enable, and even promote, decentralized learning. 20th century schools were about aggregation of staff, resources, and students. This model was based on logistical realities of the time. Resources had to be localized in order to interact with them. Great teachers in Paris couldn't serve students in rural Illinois. Schools, therefore, had to do their best to bring the mountain to Muhammad.

The costs and skills necessary to do this required increasing amounts of money and education's version of mergers and acquisitions. Districts (School Corporations) grew increasingly larger and more complex to manage these items and issues. At this point, we are seeing the fallout from this model. Districts are finding that they cannot continue to fund everything that they need to do to keep going. These massive organizations are finding that they are top-heavy, but there is nothing that they can to to solve this. It is the natural progression of the business model. You can restructure the business as much as you want, but aside from completely systemic change, the business will never recover.

21st century schools will be about accessing the widely distributed knowledge and abilities of the global populace. Information is no longer scarce and, thus, schools are no longer the owners of that information. Schools will be more about decentralizing education, thus localizing education. This localization, however, comes in the context of access to global information and interaction.

So, what does a 21st Century school look like? I don't know. Why don't you tell me.

My vision would be a flexible space that is both virtual and real. The "classroom" would cease to be a room and more of a concept where people gather to share information. Classes in this view are more about collections of diverse lessons, tasks, projects, and so forth. The class then becomes an aggregation of activities than address standards as well as steps to achieving short and long-term goals.

The greatest change, though, must be the change in social expectations of what education is. For instance, standardized assessment and social promotion must die. As long as these exist, the above changes can never succeed. These are the tail wagging the dog. Standardized assessment is not inherently problematic. The implementation is the problem. Standardized assessment encourages educational systems to strive for improvements on test performance. Therefore, you get test effect on curriculum. When this occurs, the freedom of exploration necessary in my vision is not possible.

As for social promotion (age grouping), this approach assumes that learners benefit most from learning with their age grouped peers. This is certainly possible in my vision and could even be implemented in some ways, such as "homerooms" or classes that focus on making sense of the learners' places in society. These kinds of age-based striations could be beneficial for establishing a sense of community and for socializing students (still a role for schools). Aside from these, strict, curriculum-wide age-based grouping stifles flexible learning initiatives by effectively requiring that age, not ability/interest/goals/etc drive grouping.

This is much more than I intended to write and the organization is terrible as it is largely stream of consciousness, but my thoughts (in a rudimentary form) on the direction of education are here. Let me know what you think.

Acquittal hardly absolves "Minerva Phenomenom"

2009-04-28T22:19:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Dong-A Ilbo! You receive the dumb &%@ editorial award for the week.

To summarize, people should be punished for publishing anything that results in "negative" outcomes for society. This editor seems to believe that the Internet is a super-special forum where the audience has no responsibility to judge the accuracy of information.

So, if I say here, on this blog, that aliens will visit the Blue House tomorrow and take over the government and there is a subsequent social disturbance, I should be responsible. Well, I say to you, Mr. Anonymous editor--yeah who are you?, that the people (those mass of innocent fools in your perception) need to take on more responsibility for their actions. It is their fault that they are so easily misled. I'll also cast blame on governmental and media outlets that play on these sentiments to advance their own agendas (considering that these institutions should be sources of reliable information--though they certainly are not).

GOD! These editorials drive me nuts!

유라 - Yura - "Meat" Buffet at the Novotel Doksan

2009-04-04T09:27:00.000-07:00

I went to dinner tonight with my family to a great buffet. It's a little depressing that I seem to only be writing about buffets lately, but those seem to be where we've been going :)

유라 (Yura) is a "Meat" buffet at the Novotel Doksan (SW Seoul). This is a relatively small restaurant (public tables), but does have a large number of private rooms. The tables are great, stylish grilling tables (Korean-type with round grill in the middle). If you go, try to get one of the marble tables...really nice.

This is really a meat buffet. There are about 12 different kinds of meats available. All the usual suspects (inc. beef/pork ribs and bulgogi), plus some. I liked the "tenderloin," thick, tender, and juicy. Good stuff. We were also able to get the hanwoo (Korean) beef, which was fantastic. Obviously, not part of the buffet, but worth it for anyone looking to splurge.

The rest of the buffet is primarily sides and not very extensive. They have some different soups, rices, and jeon. There is also a small fruit and ddeok section, with traditional drinks. If you haven't gotten the picture yet, it's really very Korean :)

I really do recommend this place if you are in the mood for a good meat-fest. It's really good quality meat, a great atmosphere, and great service. The price is reasonable, I think. I hedge there because my wife paid and I can't remember whether it was 31,000 or 39,000. You could certainly get Korean BBQ for less, but there's no way that you could get it for less in this amount, with this quality.

Professional Networks in China and America

2009-03-30T17:26:00.000-07:00

Professional Networks in China and America

Great interview discussing differences between how executives perceive and use their social networks in China and the US. For much of the discussion, you could replace "China" with "Korea" and come to similar conclusions.

For years Americans have be pushing a view of business as disassociated from the rest of one's life. Work is work and home is home, the two shall not meet. However, in a world where the lines between work and personal life have already blurred so completely, how long until we see that the two are not separate, nor have they ever really been.

The next generation of successful business leaders will be those who live their work (for better or worse) and do not distinguish between the professional and personal in the ways that we do today.

Does this mean that you are going to send public love notes to your romantic interest? Possibly, but likely not. It is going to meet that purposeful distinctions between the two worlds will be the exception and not the norm as it is today.

5,000 Korean English Teachers to Be Recruited This Year

2009-03-30T08:10:00.000-07:00

5,000 Korean English Teachers to Be Recruited This Year

There has been a surprising amount of backlash against this in the Korean blogosphere. I can see why some would be against it do to low expectations of implementation and/or fear of being replaced. However, this is a good thing for Korea to aspire to. There is no downside to a long-term plan to staff schools with Korean teachers of English.

As I mentioned, some have noted that implementation might be the real problem. This, I agree, is the real issue. Teaching in Korea is a job of stability, not pay. They are only providing half of this equation (the "not pay" part). Why would qualified teachers choose a low-paying, contract job over better paying options at institutes and offices without long-term prospects of stability? The simple answer is that they won't. You'll get those who can't cut it in those more competitive areas.

Not only will you see the dregs of the EFL workforce taking these jobs, you'll see the few good ones drop out after getting a year of experience. These jobs will be temp jobs held while looking for real ones. Any whiff of a better offer and they'll be out the door. English classrooms will either be staffed well-qualified short-termers and mumbling misanthropes long-termers (wow, sounds just like the foreigners there now :)

What can they do? First of all, give them the same pay that the foreign teachers are getting now. That's still not a great paycheck in Korea, but it is better than they will get in most institute positions and even more than they will get as starting salary in an office. Secondly, include some security or, at least, a path to future job security. Make this something that they do not for a year, but for the foreseeable future.

Obama Lauds Korea’s Education of Children

2009-03-10T23:36:00.000-07:00

Obama Lauds Korea’s Education of Children

AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Are you kidding me?! Who the hell is informing this guy. While I do admire the drive to educate students (young and old) here in Korea, I do not admire the way it's done and most Korean don't either. Kids learn almost entirely in after (or before) school programs. Do we really want U.S. education to be outsourced to institutes? I'd home school rather than subject my kids to that.

Additionally, he's a fool to think that education is will or should look the same in 10/20/30 years. I don't want my kid in school longer. Schools can't fix the problem, schools ARE the problem (to paraphrase Reagan). I want more efficiency and flexibility in education. I don't want 2 months a year of testing and test prep.

I want my son to have an excellent foundation in maths, sciences, history, civics, and English as well as have the opportunity to pursue interests and healthy living through electives such as art, autos, phys ed, and more. You say that takes more time than they have in school now....DUH! Be a freakin' parent and participate in your kids' education. Do it yourself or get them help. BUT, DO NOT extend the school year. I don't want to give the school more time to mess up my kid's education.

The real problem with American education is that society and families only pay lip service to it.

This video tempts me to give up coffee

2009-03-07T04:23:00.000-08:00

The song is in French, so pay attention to the captioning if you don't understand French. It starts out really tame, but devolves into complete madness--I love it!

Good place for Mandoo guk

2009-03-01T22:58:00.000-08:00

Went to a good place for Mandoo Guk (만두국) today with my wife, near her workplace.
합흥에 겨울냉면 has really good Mandoo Guk with huge, tasty mandoo for W7,000, but the Nangmyun (in the restaurant's name) is not very good, at least the bibim nangmyun.

It's a short walk from Danguk University station (line 3). I can't remember the exit number, but it's the exit next to #1 (should be #2, but not sure). Walk about 300 meters and it's on the left side.

'Money Determines Happiness'

2009-02-18T15:02:00.000-08:00

'Money Determines Happiness'

I guess money DOES buy happiness...at least on one measure in Korea. I can't say that I'm surprised. Lower-level jobs (those that don't pay as much) require slave-like obligations to the job and job security is nill in many cases. That would make for a stressful life, I'd guess.

Why Sleep Is Needed To Form Memories

2009-02-12T09:40:00.000-08:00

Why Sleep Is Needed To Form Memories

I guess this is just another reason why I should get more sleep (said around 3am). Just add this to reams of other articles advocating sleep for health reasons. It seems to me, the best thing that we can do for ourselves and our children is to establish good sleep habits.

This is tough for me to do now. I've had such terrible sleep patterns for so long that I don't think that I can change. Add to this a non-standard, alternating schedule and a child that dictates when I sleep and when I wake and you get a man who is always tired. I'm sure that this is true of many people (for similar or completely different reasons).

Obama's Latest Pick for DOJ is RIAA Lawyer Who Killed Grokster and Sued Jammie Thomas - ReadWriteWeb

2009-02-06T08:09:00.000-08:00

Obama's Latest Pick for DOJ is RIAA Lawyer Who Killed Grokster and Sued Jammie Thomas - ReadWriteWeb

The question was never whether Obama was in someone's pocket, the question was whose pocket. Now we know. With his moves regarding DOJ picks, Obama has placed himself squarely in the entertainment industry's pool of goons.

It was so stressful not knowing when he would disappoint me. I wondered where it would manifest itself on a daily basis. It's like walking down a street and worrying that a killer hides behind every shadow (except that I knew there was at least one killer in one shadow).

This isn't a major problem, but it certainly concerns me. These guys have shown ZERO concern with the rights of the people. They have supported malicious lawsuits that ruined the credibility of the RIAA (what little there was). What will become of the already pathetic DOJ?

Korea Beat › “One Teacher Changed A School”

2009-02-04T21:02:00.000-08:00

Korea Beat › “One Teacher Changed A School”

The real title should be, "One teacher changed a school by guilting other teachers to donate 25 hours a week overtime."

I posted a long comment on the KoreaBeat site, so I thought I'd just paste it here.

I applaud Ms. Kim for the changes that she's brought to these schools. By any means necessary is a good mantra for education.

The problem here is that this change initiative is not scalable. This is localized change that is unlikely to promote large-scale change. Additionally, and most importantly from a teacher's perspective, what about the teachers'? What about their right work a reasonable schedule? What about their right to spend time with their own families? What about their right to be paid for optional overtime?

Simon is right. This plan robs Peter to pay Paul (not monetarily, of course, but in terms of study hours). However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. I'm coming from the point of view that there is nothing that can be done in the short term to limit the amount of study time Korea students have to put in. It is a socially derived necessity when you life path is essentially determined by the university you attend rather than the skills and knowledge you bring to the table. You have no choice put to do all you can to get an edge. This educational arms race will continue for the foreseeable future. With this in mind, day-long education could be a method of equalization that Koreans always appear to be looking for. It wouldn't completely work (those with means can always find a way), but it would seem to work for the many.

Of course, I return to my previous point of scalability. For this to work Korea-wide, teachers would have to "volunteer" to work 65+ hour work weeks for the same or similar pay that they currently receive. If payment were required, this would increase payrolls in the neighborhood of 40% country-wide. This would result in a ballooning of the DoE budget and necessitate tax increases or movement of funding to cover the difference. The growing number of childless and empty-nesters would be in an uproar and likely route any politicians voting for this. Not to mention the parents who would still complain, because the money they are saving on weekday hagwons has just been moved to pricey, intensive weekend programs :)

This was much longer than I planned, but I'm procrastinating and this is a good way to do so. Thanks.

Dan

Court: No right to shout "douchebag" in a crowded blog - Ars Technica

2009-01-30T23:50:00.000-08:00

Court: No right to shout "douchebag" in a crowded blog - Ars Technica

I see the school officials side of this. This speech does tend to impede on the educational process. However, if we allow schools to suppress students, even at a distance (and off of school machines), this is not a slippery slope, it is an outright violation of our citizens' first amendment rights.

I think of this as I think of all laws. People reach, stretch, and expand the purview of the law (or it's exceptions) until it ceases to resemble the original intent. I believe in the exception regarding the disruption of the educational process. However, this doesn't mean that we should be using it as a group control mechanism. This shouldn't be something that we hold over students saying if we don't like what you say (no matter where you say it) you will be punished.

Schools are soon to be subverted in ways that we haven't seen in over a hundred years. If we allow non-educational spaces to be used for suppressing free speech, learners in any educational setting won't be safe to speak freely anywhere, anytime.

Dad impersonating son in exam arrested - CNN.com

2009-01-18T06:29:00.000-08:00

Dad impersonating son in exam arrested - CNN.com

I suppose our comrades in education on the other side of the sea of J....East Sea aren't much different. I hope this guy was one baby-face papa. Do you think that he got his hair colored before going? :)

Do it the old-fashioned way, pay someone. It works wonders. Wonder how easy/difficult that is in Korea? Could you make a good living off of it for a few years? I know that this is still quite popular, and relatively easy to do, in the states for things like the SAT. However, the cost involved might just be better served to re-furnish the President's office.

The Citizen: Skorea police propose decriminalising secret dancing lessons

2009-01-13T19:13:00.000-08:00

The Citizen: Skorea police propose decriminalising secret dancing lessons: "“The revised Minor Offences Law will forbid the act of harassing a person with persistent phone calls, emails or letters, even if the victim is not physically threatened or has not been assaulted by the stalker,” a police official told Yonhap news agency."

This is pretty fantastic. This means that harassment is finally going to be illegal. This can address a lot of issues that foreigners have with nasty neighbors and even bosses/ex-bosses.

Now, of course, there is still the issue of getting police to enforce the law. So, in the end, you're still screwed.

Why do so Many Korean Children Wear Glasses? « The Grand Narrative

2009-01-12T20:25:00.000-08:00

Why do so Many Korean Children Wear Glasses? « The Grand Narrative

Cool look at this issue. I've asked this question to many of my classes in the past. I always chalked it up to the fact that Americans are more likely to wear contacts.

I wonder what people notice who live in rural areas. They certainly have more exposure to the sun. I've seen kids in these areas with a strange tint that might be called a sun tan :)

Of course, these areas might also have less intake of dairy products, thus vitamin D.

Anyway, read both the Grand Narrative's take and the original if you're interested.

End of Year Post

2009-01-09T21:58:00.000-08:00

Christmas

I have to admit that the holiday season really depressed me this year. Starting at Thanksgiving, I think that it was knowing that I wouldn’t be home (Chicago) for Christmas this year. However, the depression peaked around Thanksgiving and then diminished through December. This corresponded with the ramping up of my Christmas spirit.

For those of you who don’t know, I am crazy about Christmas. I play Christmas music from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. I decorate (as best I can). I take special interest in gifts, holiday cooking, and holiday parties. Most of all this year, I wanted to provide all this for my son.

I don’t think I did a great job of it, but I tried. Here is what we did for Christmas this year.

Holiday movies

Much to the chagrin of my wife, I spent quite a bit of time introducing my son to Christmas cartoons. We watched Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, a couple of Charlie Brown Christmas specials (and he watch the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving over and over and over again). I tried to get him to watch National Lampoons Christmas Vacation and the Christmas Story, but he wasn’t up for either of those.

Food

We did a few food projects this season, some he really did help with and others he didn’t (some I didn’t even really do). We did cookies a couple times. He always loves helping with this. He gets covered in flour, so we add a little extra to compensate.

I made egg nog for the first time this year to great success. It was a cooked egg nog (I don’t mind raw, but I’d hate to poison anyone else). For those of you in the States, you take this for granted during the holidays, but egg nog is certainly not available here in Seoul. I made one of the easier recipes that I saw. It consisted of a cooking portion similar to making custard and a lot of blending. It was a really simple and tasty recipe. It probably would have been better if I had nutmeg (really missed that) and bourbon (or other liquor). I could have gotten the latter, but I was rather sick during Christmas and tried not to add too much alcohol to my diet J

Lastly, I didn’t feel like cooking this year, because of all the running around I would have to do to gather ingredients, so we decided to hit one of the Christmas dinners around town. We decided to go to Suji’s for Christmas dinner. I’ve heard Suji’s recommended numerous times over the last couple years and this seemed to be a good opportunity to check them out. It was my first time at Suji’s and I liked it for the most part. We were warmly greeted at the door; they had really good service, which is unheard of in Korea; and the atmosphere was nice.

Suji’s had a Christmas dinner buffet for W55,000, though they only charged us W50,000. Let me first say that the food they served was very good. They had a great medium-rare roast beef with horseradish sauce and juicy turkey with cranberry sauce. They had passable mashed potatoes with really good turkey gravy and good beef gravy. They had green beans, which is amazing. I love and miss green beans and I was so happy to have them here. On the bad side, they mixed them with corn (why not separate the two?). The “brownie” for dessert was really good; however, it was certainly not a traditional brownie as the hostess earnestly professed. Brownies are at least slightly cake-y, depending on the recipe that use. This was more like many of the “death by chocolate” desserts that I’ve had at restaurants over the years. It was like a very thick mousse.

Now for the negatives…The “stuffing” was really just cubed French bread that may have been cooked in the turkey or just sautéed with the turkey gravy. Moon hated it, not because it tasted bad, but because it was so far from the traditional stuffing that she was expecting. I thought that it tasted great, but I have to admit that it was half-assed. Moon also hated the mashed potatoes and, while I thought they were ok, I agreed that they really lacked cream and could have used more butter (now we’re being picky). The spread was lacking to say the least. For W50,000 (think $50+ depending on exchange rate) you’d think that they would have some more, at least the basics. How can you have the above items an NO bread? They offered to sell us some, though. For 50,000 you’d better give me some %$#@ bread! The buffet was tiny. How about some more choices? They only had 6 food items on the buffet (not including sauces) and 1 of them I can’t even remember what it was because it was gone and never refilled by the time I took a picture. That is the biggest problem that I had with the buffet, it ran out fast and they never refilled. I understand that we were there late, we had the 8:30PM sitting, but THEY scheduled it and they should have assured that they buffet remained stocked. The great service that I referred to above dried up about the time the food did. It seemed that they were afraid to engage at that point.

I could forgive them breadth, if they only had depth. The food that they had was really good, but I can’t forgive them for running out.

Next year (if we don’t go to the States) I’ll spend about the same amount (maybe a little more) and do the dinner right. Christmas is no time to take the lazy way out. I’ll cook up a storm and have leftovers for a week.

Christmas Events

Thanks to video conferencing, we were able to connect with family in the States for our many family Christmas parties. We joined the Craig Christmas for about an hour, with people cueing to say hi and Merry Christmas; my family joined us on Christmas morning to watch us open presents and to open the presents that we had sent them; we joined them on their Christmas morning to watch the same; and we joined the Dickinson Christmas (Mom’s side) for a short time as they miraculously regained power just in time to hook up. While nothing replaces being there, these were great substitutes.

Back to Christmas morning. Sammy woke up to Christmas surprise. Santa had not only loaded the living room with presents under the tree and in Sammy’s stocking, but he also rearranged the furniture and boxed up most of Sammy’s old toys and put them in storage (Santa’s great in that way). A well-rested dad, who didn’t have to do any of this work, brewed a big pot of coffee and cooked a big breakfast casserole (not his greatest) to get him through the morning.

Sammy particularly loved a car set that he got (track with battery-powered cars) and a doctor set that he used to give examinations to everyone, including his new Curious George doll. Moon and I really enjoyed this Christmas, as it was the first in which Sammy could really enjoy it himself. While the concept of Christmas and even that of Santa haven’t really gotten through, he is old enough now to participate fully. I really look forward to next year when he may be better able to learn a Christmas song or two.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing, sleeping, and playing. Truly a wonderful Christmas.

Thanks

Thanks to everyone for making this a great holiday season (not that it’s totally over yet). Thanks to my family in the states, both immediate and extended. Working with us to set up the video feed and working around our schedules really helped to make this Christmas better. Of course, this probably means the most to me, but I know that both Moon and Sammy enjoyed it as well. Thanks to Moon’s family for taking on that family role here in Korea. And, of course, thanks to Moon for putting up with my moodiness and insane holiday requests throughout the season.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you out there from the Craigs in Korea!

South Korea detains financial prophet of doom

2009-01-08T17:01:00.000-08:00

South Korea detains financial prophet of doom

The real story here isn't so much the arrest of a blogger, it is sustained campaign against free speech conducted by the Korean government against both journalists and the people.

So, what are they going to charge this guy with, predictions?! Next thing you know they are going to be searching for this elusive Nostradamus character. You know he's been at the center of predictions for a long time, maybe it's time he was arrested too.

As far as I know, this guy wasn't spreading false rumors. He was doing economic analyzes and reporting on his findings. So, if the government doesn't like my research will I be arrested? You know language testing is a very contentious issue in Korea, I might upset the wrong people with my findings (if I ever have any).

These moves by the government concern me more than a slumping economy, corruption, or even ineptness in public policy. This further signals a war on the truth, as long as they don't like the truth. This has been going on for a long time, but the brashness of the government in going after those who have broken no laws is simply out of control.

Korean War - HD-SN-99-03144

2009-01-08T06:23:00.000-08:00

Korean War - HD-SN-99-03144
Originally uploaded by US Army Korea - IMCOM

This collection is really amazing. The US military has put up part of their collection of Korean War-related pictures. There is so much here to be amazed with: US homecomings, fighting shots, and plenty of Korean people and places.

This shot really got my attention because this girl really resembles my wife.

Seoul Eats: How to buy meat in Korea.

2009-01-06T21:23:00.000-08:00

Seoul Eats: How to buy meat in Korea.

Have to add this to my favorites. I never know exactly what I'm getting when I go beyond the kalbi/bulgogi order at the butcher. Nice to have it described so well.

Brain Science Podcast

2009-01-06T21:06:00.000-08:00

Brain Science Podcast

This is a fantastic podcast that will change the ways in which you think about many issues including: physiology, learning, cognition, language, and much more.

In addition to podcasts, there are discussions, transcripts (for some episodes), and blog postings. I can't say enough good about this podcast. It has really renewed my interested not only in brain science, but in getting back to my (applied)linguistics roots and refreshing, as well as building, my knowledge-base in that area.

The only negative is that you'll have to find about an hour when you doing nothing else. This is not the sort of material that you can multitask with (also discussed in one episode).

Korea Herald is a mal-site?

2009-01-05T21:53:00.000-08:00

Imagine my surprise when I visited the Korean Herald recently and saw this message in Firefox.

I thought, "No. Must have gone to the wrong site." So, I went to Google and was welcomed with this message.

Notice the, "This site may harm your computer" message.

So, it's official. Not only does the Korea Herald have terrible reporting, thus harmful to readers' minds, but harmful for your computer too.

Really, I wonder what did this? Probably some of that ActiveX crap they are always trying to load.

Just in Case

2009-01-03T01:42:00.000-08:00

I reserved this URL just in case I ever want to move from my own server to Blogger's. Not likely, but possible.
You can find Seoul Daddy at http://blog.danielcraig.com

Adams 50 skips grades, lets kids be pacesetters

2009-01-02T17:17:00.000-08:00

I am one of those who believe that this is the future of education. It won't be an easy transition and I have more than a little respect for the skeptic who says that it's like putting a new program on an old computer. However, this is going to be a long movement from one-size-fits-all to more customized learning experiences.

This is not to say that you can send (young) learners out to find their own way. That has been tried and tried again with less than optimistic results.

This move will have significant push-back in the US, not when promoting young learners, but rather when retaining older learners. The pressure for age-based promotion could ruin this approach. When you taint performance-based promotion the whole system falls apart.

Obama Moves to Counter China in Space With Pentagon-NASA Link

2009-01-01T22:19:00.000-08:00

This is no small move, though at this point it's all speculation. One has to seen that this will lead to a much more closed organization with less collaboration than what currently occurs. You may say that the Pentagon collaborates more than I would expect and that NASA less than I would think. However, even the competitive nature of the arrangement signals this division.

Introducing Dramafever — Dramabeans

2008-12-30T20:51:00.000-08:00

Introducing Dramafever — Dramabeans

Thanks to Korea Beat for the link.

Dramabeans then points to a site (in closed beta) that will stream Korean dramas with English subtitles to American IPs (VPN or proxy needed when outside the states).

Actually, I really don't like Korean dramas (or any dramas for that matter). I watch them with my wife (and my son who loves them like cartoons) and they are simple soap operas. They have similar plots (Koreanized, of course), acting, and staging as American soaps. These are simple trash. HOWEVER......I'd really like to know what's going on without have to get translations from my wife, who would rather not talk (or listen to me) during the soap. Maybe I can get basic back stories here so I can better understand the most recent episodes.

Enjoy (if you can).

Time to Reboot America

2008-12-28T16:12:00.000-08:00

Op-Ed Columnist - Time to Reboot America - NYTimes.com

I don't always agree with Friedman, but I certainly agree with the thrust of this article. Anyone who has gone from Seoul to the States has seen this as well (though there is also lots of counter-evidence). How can you not be stricken by the speed with which new technologies are delivered and how the government promotes (however awkwardly) the city/country as a destination for foreign travel and investment.

In my home city of Chicago, I had always thought of the El (elevated train) as a convenient, expedient way of making my way through the city. After years in Seoul enjoying one of the best subway systems in the world, I was embarrassed by the El on a recent trip home. The trains and stations were filthy, the cars smelled (not uncommon in Seoul), the tickets costly, and the pace was excruciatingly slow. It seems as if I could have walked the journey as fast as the El traveled.

Without a sincere focus on the infrastructure of America, we will experience a fall in prominence in my lifetime that mirrors the rise experienced during my Grandfather's.

Santa, the Feds are gonna get you

2008-12-26T01:17:00.000-08:00

Funny post from the Libertarians.

My favorite is,

* But Crooked Claus the Conniving Capitalist harms more than just animals — he’s hurting hard-working American laborers, too. Isn’t Santa’s Workshop really Santa’s Sweatshop, where his non-union employees don’t make minimum wage and get no holiday pay? Add the fact that OSHA has never inspected the place, and you have a Third-World elf-exploitation operation that only Kathy Lee Gifford could love.

Some Long Overdue Restaurant Reviews

2008-12-17T22:04:00.000-08:00

I’ve had these restaurant business cards on my desk for a long time (as long as a year—I hope they are still open)

CEIA

CEIA is a Brazilian BBQ restaurant in Gangnam. I only have one other experience with Brazilian BBQ to go from, but it seemed pretty good to me. The service was good, the food was good, the atmosphere was so-so.

These places keep bringing out the meat all night, as long as you can stuff it down. If you are feeling the need for a good, old-fashioned meat feast, this is the place for you. They have beef, pork, lamb, and chicken to choose from. Some where slightly dry, but most were rather good.

The cost is around W 50,000 (from memory—could be less) and I’d say that it is worth every penny.

Location: Get off at Shinsa station and go out exit 1. CEIA is on your right side, slighly tucked away in an alley, so keep your eyes peeled.

WWW: http://ceia.cyworld.com

Phone: 02-547-6633

Thai Garden

Thai Garden is one of a handful of Thai restaurants in Itaewon (technically Hannam-Dong). It has certainly been my favorite Thai experience so far in Seoul. Three things I look forward to at Thai restaurants are coconut milk, cilantro, and lemon grass. This place doesn’t skimp an any of these.

The price is reasonable (for Seoul standards), the quality is good, and the service isn’t bad.

WWW: http://www.thaigarden.co.kr

Phone: 02-792-8836~7

La Seine

La Seine is a buffet at the Lotte Hotel, Seoul. Like all hotel buffets, this one is rather expensive at W 60,000 for dinner. Also, like many buffets, this one is just not worth it. They dabble in a little of everything, which means that there is really no depth in their offerings. The quality is mediocre, and the dishes dry and/or overcooked.

You’d be much better off hitting some of the specialty sea food buffets around town at half this price. I went to one last night, Ari Ari, in Gangnam (Gangnam station, exit 6, roughly 500 meters on your left, can’t miss it).

WWW: http://www.lottehotel.com

Phone: 02-317-7171

Sushihiroba (스시히로바)

Sushihiroba is a sushi place in the Lotte department store in Myoung Dong. The experience was so-so overall. When we first got there, the selection was terrible, with most being the rolls with vast amounts of mayo and crap on top (feel my disdain?). We had to ask for mayo-less sushi. Eventually, they worked into a better selection (by the time we were full). Otherwise, what we had was pretty good. The fish wasn’t that frozen crap that you get at the cheaper places, and that is saying a lot.

The price wasn’t terrible. A little over W 50,000 for my wife and I. I’m a huge eater, but my wife is not. That was about 18 plates.

WWW: http://www.sushihiroba.co.kr

Phone: 02-726-4070

Italian Restaurant Ha Nul Jung Won (하늘정원)

2008-12-16T22:56:00.000-08:00

Ha Nul Jung Won is a recently opened Italian restaurant right outside Dongguk University subway station exit #1. This is the area around the Shilla Hotel and the Sofitel Ambassador Seoul.

Before I start complaining, I better get what I liked out of the way first. The restaurant is in an old house, though not hanok. It has a nice patio (not too useful this time of year) and the inside is going for a rustic look. It is a pretty good atmosphere for a quick lunch and probably good for a long dinner.

I went there for lunch. Lunch has a fixed menu that changes daily (or at least should). It was basic, but good. They had a table with salad and bread that people could serve themselves. It reminded me of a kimchi table at many restaurants and cafeterias. Both the salad, with an onion vinegarette, and the bread were good. We ate a lot of these, though not just because they were good (see problems below). They served oil/vinegar at the table and a kind of pickled cucumber (standard in Korea). The main dish was "pasta with cream sauce." It was a light cream sauce with mushrooms, onions, and green/yellow/red peppers and a mix of pasta types: fettuccini, bowtie, and rigatoni. I was skeptic, but these were all pretty good. Lastly, and rather importantly, the meal was only W8,500, which is pretty good for Italian in Seoul.

Now the bad and I'll be quick about it (though they weren't). Service was terrible. This was probably due to the fact that the kitchen couldn't get these simple dishes out quickly. We waited for 30 minutes for the ONE dish that they were making that day. The serving staff couldn't keep track of who to give the food to when it did come out. My wife was served then they served a couple other tables around me, then I was served. As I mentioned before, we tore into the salad and bread as we waited. However, they ran out of both (or said they did) as we got our meal. I would have loved some bread with that cream sauce.

That's it. The good and the bad of this new place. The price was right and the food was too. If they get over the lousy service (not easy in Seoul), they will have a killer place. This is a business area with few western food options, which helps to explain why they were packed for lunch on a Tuesday.

You can probably tell that I'm writing this really fast. That's mostly what you'll get from me: mistakes, poor style, and all. I'm going to try to get more of these reviews up from now on in order to add to the greater body of food knowledge here in Seoul/Korea. I'm not very good at getting pictures (can't get them from my phone), so you'll have to gaze at the words on the page :)

See Santa Live from the North Pole! | Santa.com

2008-12-09T15:53:00.000-08:00

See Santa Live from the North Pole! | Santa.com

I don't know whether this is cool or scary. A guy at Santa.com streams live every day and answers questions from the chat.

Study Finds Joy To Be Contagious

2008-12-08T03:28:00.000-08:00

The Harvard Crimson :: News :: Study Finds Joy To Be Contagious

So, can I sue gloomy people for endangering my health? Just another reason to be happy. Happiness breeds happiness.

ALAK 2008, Seoul National University

2008-12-07T08:57:00.000-08:00

Today was a busy day. I participated in a rather long CALL Fair and gave a paper presentation. I think that the CALL Fair went well, but the paper....not so much :) However, I'll post some of the materials here just in case you'd like to take a look.

CALL Fair

My CALL Fair presentation was titled, "Online social networks for specialized language learning environments." It was mainly focused on using Ning to quickly and easily set up an online social network and demonstrating the functions built into Ning sites. I also spent a little time (more with some than others) discussing other options.

Here is the proposal (.doc)

Here is the presentation that I put together, but didn't really use.

Online Social Networks For Specialized Language Learning Communities

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: alak korea)

I chose, instead, to take them directly to sites to see for themselves. I put together a quick and dirty site at ALAK 2008 Test Site that you are free to play with. I'll leave it up for a least a little while. I also showed them my class Ning site, which is closed to the public, LiveMocha (a language learning online social network), and Teach the People (Facebook application), as well as a few other sample sites (see notes sheet for collection of sites).

Paper Presentation

I don't think my paper presentation went nearly as well. In "Changing Learning Theories," I really bit off more than I could chew for this one. I have an ambitious goal of doing an overview of Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism, and Connectivism as well a potential applications of Connectivism to language learning teaching and learning. Did I mention that I had 20 minutes to do this in? I had to rush through too much and I didn't explain the newest theory on the block, Connectivism, well enough for the majority who had never heard of it. I should have just cut out the other learning theories (assuming that the audience had some knowledge of them) and focused on Connectivism and language learning. Oh well, take a look at the presentation for yourself. I put quite a bit in the notes, so be sure to check those out.

Paper (.doc)

Learning Theories

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: learningtheory theory)

Feel free to chime in with any comments, suggestions, criticisms, or just to say hi.

'The Woman Who Can't Forget' | Newsweek

2008-11-20T00:52:00.000-08:00

Book Review: 'The Woman Who Can't Forget'

Story about a woman who couldn't forget and the nightmare that it really is.

2008-11-14T07:59:00.000-08:00

This is a message sent using Ping.fm (http://www.ping.fm). I'm hoping that it only ends up in my blogs and not across my social network :)

Tolerance fails t-shirt test

2008-11-13T20:51:00.000-08:00

First, let me say that I love this little girl. What a great experiment. I just wish that I had thought about it.

A middleschool student in Oak Park, IL decided to do an experiment. She wore a "McCain Girl" t-shirt one day and an "Obama Girl" shirt the next. She wrote down all of the comments that she recieved on each day.

The results were what you'd expect from middleschoolers (older folks are more likely to screw you behind the scenes). She was treated with contempt for wearing the McCain shirt and praised for the Obama shirt.

She did this with the approval of the history teacher who used it as part of a lesson after the results were in. From my point of view, it's a great experiment and a great beginning to her research career (though she luckily didn't have to go through human subjects approval).

Flash 10 broke me

2008-11-12T20:20:00.000-08:00

Looks like the newest Flash 10 (10,0,12,36 to be precise) broke the last.FM widget embedded at the top of the page. Hopefully, it will eventually be fixed by either last.FM or Adobe (won't hold my breath). I'll just leave it up for now.

However, this is what happens when you rely so much on propriety software. You are at their mercy. It only gets fixed when they say it gets fixed. Wouldn't it be nice if an open source option came into vogue?

Don't write in and tell me how many great options there are. The reality is that Flash is on nearly every computer (at least those running Windows and Mac OS, but likely Linux too). Until there is something that can challenge this dominance, few are going to develop for it.

However, I shouldn't let last.FM off the hook too easily. So far, they are the only system broken as far as I can tell.

So, until then, I sit back and what for the king to decide what to do with me. Shall I be spared or OFF with my head!

Man admits killing teacher over 21-year grudge - CNN.com

2008-11-10T06:56:00.000-08:00

Man admits killing teacher over 21-year grudge - CNN.com

Uhm, scary?! Is this a warning not to beat your students or simply to get out of Korea before they can do damage to you? A little of both, I guess.

A guy kills his teacher who beat him 21 years earlier for cheating on a test. Let's just hope there aren't many copycats out there.

Breakdown Prohibition

2008-11-02T18:30:00.000-08:00

Cheer Up
Originally uploaded by nahkahousu

I really thought that this should say 구토 금지 (pardon the Google translation for "vomit prohibition").

Great picture though :)

YouTube - Sarah Palin Got Pranked

2008-11-01T20:42:00.000-07:00

YouTube - Sarah Palin Got Pranked

Can you say, FUNNY! In all her folksy goodness, Palin talks to who she thinks is the French President. However, I'm glad that these guys didn't go too overboard. Now it just seems like a pile-on.

YouTube - Electing a US President in Plain English

2008-11-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

YouTube - Electing a US President in Plain English

Perfect way to improve test scores

2008-10-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal: "<a href='http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1303'>
<img src='http://www.smbc-comics.com/comics/20081002.gif'></a>"

Three Alley Pub Itaewon

2008-10-26T04:58:00.000-07:00

Three Alley Pub Itaewon

I've heard a lot about Three Alley Pub, so my wife and I stopped in tonight. The place was smokey and the chairs were uncomfortable. What do I expect from a pub? I was just hoping to get some decent pub food. I got an OB (yeah, I know, but I'm cheap) and my wife got a Long Island Ice Tea. The OB was great, but the LIT tasted like sewage. A blind monkey could have poured better. LITs are easy to make. I don't know how they messed that up.

We with the drink in hand, we decided it was best to order one entree and see how they did. We got the Beef and Guinness Stew. It was pretty good, but pretty obvious that the sauce from either from a can or mix and the potatoes and meat were added later. The bread served with it was really good. Actually, the bread made the meal. We decided not to risk another order, so we hit some street food and Cold Stone on the way home.

Seoul Eats: Review: Hamburgers in Seoul

2008-10-23T21:47:00.000-07:00

Seoul Eats: Review: Hamburgers in Seoul

There are 2 kinds of Americans in Korea who aren't looking for good burgers: (1) vegetarians, and (2) those who were locked in a closet for 20+ years before being shipped to Korea (I've met a few of the latter).

This why Daniel Gray's research into where to get good burgers is so welcomed. These days I might have one or two days a month that I can go out into the world (beyond my neighborhood) and enjoy a good meal. Most of the time, I am looking for meat. Occasionally, I get hamburgers on the brain and can't relax until I satisfy that hunger. I've been unsatisfied for a long time.

On a suggestion that came either directly or indirectly from Daniel Gray, I went to the #1 on his list, Wolfhound. It was certainly the best burger that I've had in Korea. I was a little disappointed in the meat as it had a lot of filler and tasted more like a meaty meatloaf than a burger. I followed up with Daniel and he recommended the Corner Bistro and Tony's Aussie Bar and Bistro for places that offer a plain meat (can we say that about hamburger?) patty and a good bun. I'll have to give them a try.

The Caffeine Curve

2008-10-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

The Caffeine Curve

Love the graphic and it's so true.

Gal to Gal Virtual Walk 2008

2008-10-20T23:00:00.000-07:00

Gal to Gal Virtual Walk 2008

This is virtual walk to support people with stage IV breast cancer. It is a great organization and a nice twist on traditional "walks". The cost is $5, but you can give as much as you'd like. The money goes towards programs to help families through this very difficult, and sometimes drawn out, experience.

If you'd like to join the walk, join my group "Global Walkers" and we can walk together.

Super ex

2008-10-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

YouTube - Super ex

Funny and rather true. I hate to spread the hate for ex pat teachers, but whatcha' gonna do?

YouTube to McCain: You Made Your DMCA Bed, Lie in It

2008-10-16T08:06:00.000-07:00

YouTube to McCain: You Made Your DMCA Bed, Lie in It

Repeat after me, "Karmic Justice." The McCain campaign has been getting their advertisements pulled down left and right since many contain clips from other sources (CBS for example). These are certainly fair use examples, but the way that the DMCA works, it makes no difference in the initial take down request.

I don't know McCain's history with the DMCA. Not many voted against it, so I assume he voted for it. I'm not even happy that it's happening to him. I'm just happy that it's happening to someone in government. Maybe now that they've been screwed by it as many others have, it will get fixed.

Glassbooth - Quiz to help you choose best 2008 presidential candidate

2008-10-14T22:16:00.000-07:00

Glassbooth - Quiz to help you choose best 2008 presidential candidate

This is a cool site. There is a 2-part quiz. The first quiz seems useless when you are doing it, but it informs the second part that measures the strength of your opinion on these issues. The first part measures how important to you different categories of issues are. You assign values until you use up all of your "points". I think that this makes you focus on which issues you care about and how much. The second part is a Likert scale from strongly disagree (oppose) to strongly agree. The statements are based on general differences in policy proposals/support from politicians.

The result pairs you with politicians and tells you how well you match. I was 87% Nader. I'm not surprised. I've even voted for him in the past (I'm a 3rd party guy). It's tough who to identify with when you are middle of the road. Also not surprisingly I was a 65% match with Obama and 33% with McCain. That about sums up my opinion on all of them :)

Obviously, there is more to think about than how well you match overall.

Is college worth it?

2008-10-14T03:58:00.000-07:00

Is college worth it? -- chicagotribune.com

This is a great article in that it brings home something that many educators have been saying for years, "Why go to college"?

This isn't to say, at the article also states, that there aren't great reasons to go to college, including broadening horizons, meeting people from diverse backgrounds, and a little something called education. However, the return on investment isn't what it once was. They often cite salaries of people who go into business-related fields, but not those in social services. Those in business are easily making $50,000+ relatively soon after graduate. They will pay off their debts. Those other professions, though, make much less and will likely need to get advanced degrees to bridge the gap even slightly.

We need students to begin making these calculations on their own. Return on investment isn't just about money, but to be in debt for 20 years is a terrible existence. This is beginning to drive lower-cost alternatives and will change the educational landscape over the next decade (yes, that soon).

As I near the end of my formal education (I swear I'm done after this phd), I have to say that it's been pretty good to me. I'm comfortable, I'm saving a little money, and I have a generally rosey outlook on life. In order to get this, though, I've had to go through years of graduate work that was bartered for office and teaching work at the universities I attended.

I wish someone had sat me down when I was 17 and laid this out for me. I can't say that I would have done anything differently (I just wanted to party after high school and college was the best place to do it), but I might have save me (more so my parents) a little money by making different decisions. By the time my own son is preparing for post K-12 life, I don't even think this will be an issue. It will be part of a well-worn system by then. At least I hope so. Have 2 of "the talks" is just too much.

$1000 Of Stock

2008-10-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

$1000 Of Stock
Originally uploaded by sandossu

Too funny picture and commentary. I don't know if would be as funny if I had invested $1000.

JALT Conference 2008

2008-10-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

The Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT) contacted me about advertising their conference at the end of the month (OCT 31). I was happy to do so. It's a great organization and I just wish I could go myself. Please see the picture below for more information or go to their website at http://jalt.org/

Hey Sarah Palin (with lyrics/subtitles)

2008-10-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

YouTube - Hey Sarah Palin (with lyrics/subtitles)

This much be a music day for me. This is hilarious (thanks Jared). It is a commentary on Sarah Palin to the tune of "Hey There Delilah". This is tooooooo funny. Listen to the lyrics.

A E I Love U - EV Boys newest

2008-10-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

YouTube - A E I Love U

It's difficult to follow up on classics (in this case, Kickin' it in Gumcheon), but this is certainly fun too. It's the kind of thing that foreigners in Korea (particularly English teachers) can appreciate. The most memorable line is (and I'm paraphrasing) "she won't take me home, because he dad hates waeguks (foreigners)".

If you call me names, I'll kill myself.

2008-10-04T00:06:00.000-07:00

More Limits Planned on Internet Anonymity

Please don't get me wrong, I take suicide very seriously. It is a grave issue, and nearly what I would consider an epidemic in Korea, with one of the highest suicide rates in the world. However, the big brother approach to suicide prevention is misguided.

The Korean government already requires "real name" registration on many of the largest websites. The intent is to stifle rumors (false ones) by holding people accountable for their posts. Korea is one of the few countries in the world where this kind of policy would actually work (in a limited way). The Korean tech industry in insular. Local internet companies rule the roost, with foreign companies in distant, distant 2nd/3rd/etc (witness Naver's success within Korea). In most other countries, laws like this would be laughed off as citizen flocked to companies outside of Korea. Here, however, this has a real impact.

Does it really work? Obviously not or else they wouldn't be still talking about it. While it certainly dampens the rumor-mill, it doesn't mussle it. Now they are going after smaller sites in an attempt to further clamp down. This will fail. There is no hesitancy in my conviction. It will fail.

Like most misguided, heavy-handed approaches to governance, this policy hurts the innocent more than the culprits. It will stop the political dissenters, the whistle-blowers, and those who have been wronged. It will provide fodder for laughable libel laws that prevent people from warning the public against real dangers: corrupt politicians, criminal businesses and business people, and even harmful products (see recent melanin scare).

These public figures are not committing suicide because of online rumors. They are committing suicide because they are sick. They need medical/psychiatric attention, not post-suicide ramblings against name-callers. They need for society to quit looking for others to blame and get people with problems to help. Choi Jin-sil, as the article pointed out, told at least two people that she was going to kill herself. Sometimes signs that people are thinking about suicide are difficult to see, but you've got to be kidding me! She could have walked down the street with a sign saying I'm going home to hang myself and not been clearer.

Instead of suppressing everyone's free speech, let's start by educating the public on what to look for and how to help people with suicidal thoughts. Instead of millions in oversight for monitoring discussion groups, try spending it on building awareness of mental health and changing public perception of getting mental help?

EDIT - I found this shortly after publishing. At least someone out there is looking at the issue (though not directly related) in a rational light. More rational than me for that matter. Check out the editorial here.

Toe Soek Choen Samgaetang - Korean, stuffed, whole-young-chicken soup

2008-09-29T22:34:00.000-07:00

Samgaetang is a Korean chicken soup that contains a whole young chicken stuffed with sweet rice, ginseng, garlic, chestnuts, jujubes, and some other possible ingredients.

Toe Soek Choen (토속촌) is probably the most well-known, yet unknown, samgaetang place in Seoul. It is one street north of Kyoungbuk Palace in a side alley (subway line #3--orange line--not sure which exit). Google maps doesn't get in close enough to pinpoint the location, but the map below gets you to the area. When you get there just look for the line (there is always a line).

View Larger Map

I've had samgaetang dozens of times. I've been to places that I really like (most that I don't know the names of), but Toe Soek Choen is certainly the best that I've had so far. I've even had fresh-killed chicken in a little country restaurant outside Ilsan, which was my favorite up until now. This place was better. The broth was light, but not bland. It was flavorful, but not overpowering. The Chicken fell apart, perfectly cooked. The stuffing was simply amazing.

The service was quick and efficient. No frills. Order soup, get soup fast, eat soup, pay, leave. However, all of this is in a traditional Korean house in the middle of Seoul. Not an old, small house mind you, but a large house that likely belonged to someone of significant wealth at some point. Of course, all of this is lost when you are packed into rooms, shoulder to shoulder with other samgaetang connoisseurs.

If you're in Seoul and haven't tried this yet, get there and get some. They also serve Dakdoeritang (spicy chicken stew), which I'll definitely try next time.

Handshake key to landing a job, scientists claim

2008-09-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

Handshake key to landing a job, scientists claim

I occassionally warn/inform my students about this perception in American culture. Handshakes are certainly common in Korean society, but what is considered proper firmness (and duration) is different. Koreans apply less force and tend to engage longer than Americans. Not to mention the fact that they tend not to maintain eye contact during the handshake. Additionally, women tend not to shake hands as much as they would in America and, if they do, the pressure is nearly indiscernible.

From my anecdotal data (personal experience and interviews), the reason for this are varied:
(1) Firm handshakes imply a confidence that is seen to be more aggressive, pompous, or otherwise disrespectful. This seems to be more of a no-no when dealing with someone that should be respected such as guests (me in most cases), elders, and superiors.

(2) Duration notes endearment or a desire to communicate affection (whether real or just the impression thereof).

(3) Lack of eye contact is similar to reasons in #1. This does not mean that there is no eye contact, but it is not sustained. Even if the gaze is in the region of the eyes, it's often just off the eye (eyebrow, nose, forehead, etc.).

(4) The handshake is still largely a male-male greeting. The more "westernized" people are, the more likely they are to shake your hand (both male and female). By westernized, I really mean that they have consistent contact with foreigners (non-Koreans & non-Korean residents), including those educated in English-speaking countries.

So, how do you explain proper handshake criteria to Koreans? You don't, just demonstrate it. If you need to explain it, you might say that the grip is firm enough to squish tofu, but light enough not to damage a grape :)

In addition, make sure they understand some of the cultural understandings (though these may differ from person to person or region to region). Weak handshakes may indicate moral/physical weakness, dishonesty, lack of confidence, and other negative characteristics. Strong handshakes are the opposite: moral/physical strength, honesty, confidence, and other positive characteristics (supported by the study above). These beliefs are not always (or even ever) true, but they are ingrained into the American psyche.

Asus Adds 3G to Eee PC

2008-09-25T08:44:00.000-07:00

Asus Adds 3G to Eee PC

I don't know if this excites me, but it's a step in the convergence. Laptops are getting smaller and better connected, while phones are becoming mini-computers. At this point, I don't know which I'd prefer if given the chance. Since, my vision is pretty good, I don't mind small, high-resolution screens. I'm getting sick of lugging around my current Toshiba M4 tablet. It seems like a monster compared to the new, lovely computers that I've been checking out in Yonsan.

I will state right now. I will NEVER buy another full-sized laptop, nor will I ever again buy a phone that I can't use like a computer. I don't know if the ones I want have even been made yet, but I'm now willing to jump in and start sampling. The Asus line-up is pretty good, but there are some other really cool minis to choose from and more coming out every day (it seems).

As for phones, there's no way I'm getting an iPhone. Why are these people willing to sell their souls for this phone? Apple is the worst of the worst when it comes to letting people play in their sandbox. Well, I like playing with other people. Some of the greatest applications come from these folks. When Apple opens the app store, I'll consider an iPhone.

Of course, Windows Mobile 6.1 is no gem either. I hear nothing but bad reviews and even with many companies putting their own shells over the system, it's not great. However, I can put any app I find nice on MY OWN PHONE! MS isn't coming in saying, "I'm sorry you can't run this because it competes with our apps" FAIL!

Android has potential, but the HTC launch was pretty pathetic. I really do like the phone basics: great keyboard, screen (better with HTC HD, though), and ideal. However, let's face it, the phone is a fail. No video, propriety headphone jack, no Exchange support, and locked into Google apps (especially locked into 1 account). Come on guys...let's get a better one out soon. I do, however, have a great feeling about the future of Android. V2.0 will likely be a buy.

I don't know if I'd feel the same way if you lived back in the states. Mobile is important here because I walk or take public transportation everywhere. In the states, I throw my bag in the car and walk 20 feet to the coffee shop/office/etc. Mobile is not as important. Right now I want to check my mail on the way to work/home so I don't have to waste time doing it when I get there. My commute is wasted time. At this point, I listen to a ton of podcasts, but I could certainly take on email in addition.

Rambling long enough. Time to sleep and dream about my future toys.

100 Korean Foods You Gotta Try — ZenKimchi Korean Food Journal

2008-09-17T21:15:00.000-07:00

100 Korean Foods You Gotta Try — ZenKimchi Korean Food Journal

Great list by ZenKimchi. I certainly agree that these are special foods in Korea; however, I don't agree that you've GOTTA try them :)

I'm a food lover; thus, I've tried many of these, but certainly not all. I've had intestines and stomach and I don't care to have them again no matter how it's prepared. Beef liver is another one of those foods that I stay away from. Lastly, I just can't stand myeolchi (small, whole, dried fish). Raw octopus (live or dead) tastes like rubber and the baby ones have a nasty inside. It's not so much that they have heads, I just hate the consistency.

With that said, the ones that I've tried are bolded below as per Zenkimchi's request. Some are guesses as I'm terrible with names of dishes.

1. Myeolchi Bokkeum (Stir-fried Anchovies)

2. Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup)

3. Bulgogi (Grilled Marinated Beef)

4. BulDalk (Burn-your-pants-off Spicy Grilled Chicken)

5. DalkBal (Spicy Chicken Feet)

6. Korean Fried Chicken

7. Dalk Galbi (Stir-fried Marinated Chicken and Veggies)

8. San Nakji, chopped (Semi-live Baby Octopus)

9. San Nakji, whole (Live Octopus)

10. Sundubu Jjigae (Soft Tofu Stew)

11. Juk (Rice Porridge)

12. Galbi (Grilled Short Ribs)

13. Galbitang (Short Rib Soup)

14. Shinseollo (Fancy Hot Pot)

15. Gobchang Gui (Grilled Beef Intestines)

16. Seng Gan (Raw Beef Liver)

17. Galbi Jjim (Stewed Ribs)

18. Bossam (Steamed Marinated Pork with Lettuce Wraps)

19. Japchae (Clear Noodles Stir-fried with Pork and Vegetables)

20. Jaeyuk Bokkeum (Spicy Stir-fried Pork)

21. Kimchi Jjim (Stewed Kimchi with Tofu)

22. Ddong Jip (Chicken Gizzards)

23. Odeng/Eomuk (Street-side Fish Noodles)

24. Hoddeok (Stuffed Street-side Pastries)

25. GeiJang (Raw Fermented Crabs)

26. Hongeo (Fermented Skate)

27. Gochujang Samgyeopsal (Grilled Pork Belly Smothered in Red Pepper Paste)

28. Lotteria’s Shrimp Burger

29. Sae-u Kang (Shrimp Flavored “Fries”)

30. Doenjang Jjigae (Fermented Bean Paste Stew)

31. Cheonggukjang (Stinky Fermented Bean Paste Stew)

32. Boshintang (Dog Soup)

33. Seonji Haejangguk (Hangover Stew with Clotted Cow Blood)

34. Ddeokbokki (Chewy Rice Cakes in Spicy Sauce)

35. YukHui (Raw Beef Salad)

36. MiyeokGuk (Seaweed Soup)

37. Mae-eunTang (Spicy Fish Soup)

38. Nakji Bokkeum (Stir-fried Baby Octopus)

39. Ojingeo (Dried Cuttlefish)

40. Beondaeggi (Silkworm Larvae)

41. Golbaenggi (Sea Snails)

42. Jangeo Gui (Grilled Eel)

43. Jaratang (Turtle Soup)

44. Bogeo (Blowfish)

45. Sae-u Sogeum Gui (Salt Grilled Shrimp)

46. Deodeok Root

47. BindaeDdeok (Mung Bean Pancake)

48. Pajeon (Green Onion Pancake)

49. Bibimbap (Mixed Rice and Vegetables)

50. Boribap (Mixed Barley Rice and Vegetables)

51. Marinated Garlic

52. Patbingsu (Shaved Ice and Red Bean Treat)

53. Dotorimok (Acorn Jelly)

54. Naengmyeon (Chilled Noodles)

55. Makkoli/Dongdongju (Rice Beer)

56. Bokbunja (Raspberry Wine)

57. Soju (Rice Whiskey)

58. Andong Soju (Strong Rice Whiskey from the Andong Region)

59. Jogae Gui (Grilled Shellfish)

60. Haepari (Jellyfish)

61. Gyeran Jjim (Steamed Egg)

62. Corn Ice Cream

63. Dolsot Bibimbap (Mixed Rice and Vegetables in a Sizzling Stone Pot)

64. Mandu (Stuffed Dumplings)

65. Ddeokguk (Chewy Rice Cake Soup)

66. Songpyeon (Stuffed Chewy Rice Cakes)

67. Hot Bar (Fried Fish Batter Street Food)

68. Shikhye (Sweet Rice Punch)

69. Any product with Green Tea in it

70. Gujeolpan (Nine-section Dish)

71. Yogurt Soju Cocktail

72. Baechu Kimchi (Cabbage Kimchi)

73. Any Kimchi that’s over 3 years old [I HOPE NOT :( ]

74. Baek Kimchi (White Cabbage Kimchi)

75. Shake-’em-up Dosirak

76. Mul Kimchi (Water Kimchi)

77. Oi Sobagi (Stuffed Cucumber Kimchi)

78. Ggakdugi (Cubed Radish Kimchi)

79. Sae-u Jeot (Salted Tiny Shrimp)

80. Myeongran Jeot (Salted Pollack Roe)

81. Changran Jeot (Salted Pollack Guts)

82. Ssamjang (Mixed Soybean and Pepper Paste)

83. Kalguksu (Hand-cut Noodle Soup)

84. Ramyeon (Ramen Noodles) in a Tin Pot

85. Entire Hui Meal (Korean style Sashimi)

86. Gimbap (Seaweed Rice Rolls)

87. Jokbal (Pigs Feet)

88. Sundae (Blood and Noodle Sausage)

89. Yeot (Traditional Korean Candy)

90. Naengi (Shepherd’s Purse)

91. Kimchi Jjigae (Kimchi Stew)

92. Budae Jjigae (“Army Base” Stew, traditionally including hot dogs and Spam)

93. Agu Jjim (Stewed Monkfish)

94. Haemultang (Seafood Soup)

95. Nurungji (Hot Water Mixed with Rice Scrapings in a Stone Pot)

96. Sujebi (Rustic Dumpling Soup)

97. Janchi Guksu (Thin Noodles in a Seaweed Broth with Condiments)

98. BungeoBbang (Goldfish-shaped Stuffed Pastry)

99. Raw Ginseng or anything with Ginseng in it

100. MakHui (Chilled Sashimi Soup)

Professor Wikipedia - CollegeHumor video

2008-09-16T18:58:00.000-07:00

Professor Wikipedia - CollegeHumor video

This is hilarious. The best part is professor Brittanica. Good stuff.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Adviser calls BlackBerry 'miracle' McCain 'helped create' - CNN.com

2008-09-16T18:24:00.000-07:00

Adviser calls BlackBerry 'miracle' McCain 'helped create' - CNN.com

Does this mark the point when information literacy becomes a necessary trait in a leader? It always has been, you say? No, no, no. It's always been the assistant's job. It's possible that these things can no longer be solely off-loaded to staff.

I think that this is a silly article, but it does show that this is an issue on the horizon (even an attack ad).

YouTube - Nine Inch Nails - Head Like a Hole

2008-09-15T19:27:00.000-07:00

YouTube - Nine Inch Nails - Head Like a Hole

It's hard to believe that this song is nearly 20 years old. I don't even think I discovered it for myself until a couple years later, but it certainly introduced me to a whole knew genre of music. Just love it.

Storytelling 101

2008-09-15T05:39:00.000-07:00

Storytelling 101

Nice presentation on making good presentations. Emphasizes the need for a good story behind the presentation.

Most academics seem to think that they just need to push the information out to the audience and that these types of presentations are for business or just "non-scientists". This is certainly far from the truth. You want people to remember your presentation and, in fact, remember you (conferences are more about networking than exchanging ideas). I'm sure that you remember good speakers much better than poor ones...which do you want to be?

Storytelling 101

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: sherlock rockstar)

If Garfield Was In Glengarry Glenross

2008-09-08T23:29:00.000-07:00

» If Garfield Was In Glengarry Glenross

This is certainly my favorite scene from the movie and I love it coming from Garfield's mouth.

Check it out.

Here is the video version

Brain Cells Observed Summoning a Memory - NYTimes.com

2008-09-04T17:35:00.000-07:00

Brain Cells Observed Summoning a Memory - NYTimes.com

Yet another step on the stairway to knowledge. It's something that has been expected for a long time, but it's great to have some physiological evidence to back it up. This certainly seems to support information processing theories as well as those of situated cognition.

YouTube - The Process

2008-08-30T21:55:00.000-07:00

YouTube - The Process

If you've ever done any design work or simply committee-driven decision-making, you'll enjoy this one.

The Linguists

2008-08-27T21:45:00.000-07:00

The Linguists

This documentary looks great. I would love to see it. It is, of course, an issue that has been on my radar since my masters program, but also one that I rarely stop to contemplate. The trailer looks great and I can't wait to get my hands on the video (don't think my wife will be interested though :)

Golf Tour’s Rule - Speak English to Stay in Play

2008-08-27T04:27:00.000-07:00

Golf Tour’s Rule - Speak English to Stay in Play

I don't usually write these sort of responses to news articles, but I am disgusted with the LPGA on this decision. They have enacted a rule that players must be "conversant" in English by 2009. There are so many things wrong with this policy, where do I start?

1) How does a country like the United States mandate a language that players must speak? We are a country of immigrants. We are a country that does NOT have an official language. We are a country that is supposed to respect the cultures of others. We are a country that is supposed to resist being exclusionist. Isn't it good enough that they play well?

2) What does "conversant" mean? How will they measure it? What are the cutoffs? Is there going to be a multiple-choice test? Perhaps an interview? This is a joke. Language professionals can't agree on what "conversant" means, much less a group over-privileged country club society-types.

3) I really hope that this doesn't pass legal challenges. The discussion in the article ran both ways on this issue. I'm assuming that this was vetted by a legal team, but I also assume that they will run afoul of rules in at least one state in which they play. Not to mention, they may alienate some of the very marketers they wish to impress.

4) I disagree that this targets Korean players alone; however, they will likely be affected the most. Even a Korean who has all of the vocabulary and grammar knowledge to be a rock star in interviews, often cannot participate adequately in a conversation. Conversation skills have not be emphasized in the past and are only now receiving a considerable amount of lip service (that's a start) from the government. In addition, there is going to be a speaking component in future college entrance exams, which should shift the educational focus for future graduates. However, at this point, this policy is very likely to hurt Korean athletes.

All-in-all, I am disgusted with the LPGA and I hope that they come to their senses before this policy reaches fruition in 2009.

Taking the Summer Off

2008-05-31T18:26:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be taking this summer off from Web 2.0 stuff, including this blog.

I've come to the point were my interest in Web 2.0 technologies is becoming detrimental to other aspects of my life, particularly that part about finishing my degree. Therefore, I'm going to take the summer off to focus on making the most of my indoor time and maximize my outdoor time.

Have a wonderful summer. I'll see you again some time in late August or early September.

Dan

In Korea, a Boot Camp Cure for Web Obsession - New York Times

2008-05-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

In Korea, a Boot Camp Cure for Web Obsession - New York Times

This is awesome, but I think that it would be great for all kids. Get out and do fun activities. This isn't treatment, it's camp!

Now, I don't want to be too glib about this. I agree that it's a serious issues and the participants here are extreme cases that need extreme interventions. This might be a good way to break them down and build them up, but it's not going to help them to live is a society of computers, where every basic task they have to complete is mediated by a computer (and likely the Internet).

From the picture here, it's pretty obvious that this is not in Seoul. I'd love to see grass in Seoul :) That's the biggest problem with this approach. When they go back to the city, what should they do?

These kids (at least those in K-12) have to time to go hiking, though the mountains surround Seoul. They are scheduled to within an inch of their lives. The "Internet" here mostly refers to games that they play after those scheduled times (mostly at night) and usually take away from their sleep time. There's no time to do anything that is more than a short distance from home.

I suggest a program that gives them alternatives that can be done given those boundaries (because those boundaries aren't going to be taken down any time soon). Both outdoor and indoor activities, both group and individual activities. If this can be done, it's more likely to last.

This program is just another hagwon (private institute program) that promises cures and provides only temporary relief of symptoms. When they get back to their real lives, they'll head straight to their computers to post their pictures, update their mini-homepys (Cyworld home page), and let their friend know exactly what they've been up to in hours of chat conversations.

Fear, secrecy kept 1950 Korea mass killings hidden - washingtonpost.com

2008-05-18T20:55:00.000-07:00

Fear, secrecy kept 1950 Korea mass killings hidden - washingtonpost.com

This is one of those things that seems so obvious, but I have never heard it mentioned in my time in Korea (though there seems to be a considerable amount a work being done my the Truth and Reconciliation Committee). Regardless of where the war is, people are killed, both civilian and military. War movies are made on the callous actions of a few (or a even a policy) in laying judgment on their captives.

I really do hope that Korea acknowledges this and works to give a voice to the victims and their families. As is too often the case, people not directly affected just want the nastiness to go away and not interfere with their righteous few of their history and brethren. I hope this is one of those times where this urge is overcome.

Change of Title/Scope

2008-05-15T22:19:00.000-07:00

Hi folks,

For anyone who still follows this nearly dead blog I wanted to leave a note on the changes that I'm going to make. I started this blog years ago as a place to discuss language learning and technology. This role has shifted to my IUCALL blog (which will soon change names as well) leaving this blog as a general repository for miscellaneous stuff.

It's time to just redo this site and use it for the kind of miscellaneous postings that I didn't have a place for previously. I'm going use this as more of a personal site to document the junk in my life that few people will be interested in: restaurants, days out with the family, and so forth. Since I happen to live in Seoul, you might be interested in that part of it. So, soon to come. More pictures, videos, and write-ups of my daily life in Seoul.

Dan

Design Coding Rap

2008-03-29T23:44:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Open Thinking & Digital Pedagogy for point me to this. Just great.

Study says many studies suck / Research shows we are far too drunk on stupid studies that tell us what research shows

2008-02-05T02:24:00.000-08:00

Study says many studies suck / Research shows we are far too drunk on stupid studies that tell us what research shows

If he thinks that medical studies are inane, he should take a look at a journal in education :)

All English Classes to Be In English. Really. : Korea Beat

2008-01-26T01:56:00.000-08:00

All English Classes to Be In English. Really.

I'm becoming a big fan of Korea Beat. These are the timely articles that you just don't get in the Korean English dailies.

I've heard rumors of the Lee Myung-bak's transition team proposing that high school Science and Math classes by 2010. That is just insane. These guys are just talking crazy after being locked in a room for a couple weeks brainstorming wonderful policy moves. However, I haven't seen this printed yet, so I don't really believe it (yet).

The proposal detailed in this post, namely that English teachers will have to teach in English and students will be required to take tests focused more on communication than grammar knowledge, seems reasonable. Can you imagine having a language teacher who couldn't communicate passably (note I don't say well) in the target language? This is certainly the case with many English teachers in Korea. It is my impression that the numbers are greatest in the elementary schools and decrease in middle schools and then again in high schools.

I understand being afraid of change and, thus, the resistance from some teachers (noted in the article). However, I also think that the good of the student must come before the good of the teacher. If you don't know your topic well enough to teach it, you should either learn it or change your teaching responsibilities.

Regardless of what I think here, though. History shows that many of these suggested changes never make it to the policy stage and of those that do, few last. Just think about it. By the time it is enacted and the grace period ends, this presidency will be nearly over. No re-election for Korean presidents. The political will and juice just won't be great enough to make it last.

Dan

Scarcity of Native English Speakers Drives Up Salaries : Korea Beat

2008-01-22T05:18:00.000-08:00

Scarcity of Native English Speakers Drives Up Salaries

My feelings on this article (thanks to Korea Beat for the translation) are mixed. My first reaction was, "GOOD". I love higher salaries :) However, after reading it I have other concerns.

These requirements are going to drive away qualified teachers who can go elsewhere, which leaves more unqualified folks who are willing to wait to get in. Though I am in favor of reform, let's face it, most of these regulations won't stop 99% of the undesirables. These new regulations are futile, because most pedophiles haven't been caught, most recreational drug users can stop for a couple weeks to beat the test, and the interviewers will have no clue what to look for (I guarantee that they have had NO training for this). I think that the drug test and background checks are reasonable, but provide another way to interview it if has to be done. The goal should be a system that enables people to come a month after signing a contract. This is best for the workers and for the hagwons.

Another problem is that this might keep bad teachers at their jobs. With easier access to teachers, owners could release bad teachers and bring someone else in with little extra cost. Now, these same teachers are more likely to keep their jobs no matter what their behavior (we've all heard the horror stories, right?).

Though there are certainly problems, a shortage might be a silver lining. A "native" teacher shortage could fuel change initiatives. Better training for Korean English teachers is a great start. I've met middle school English teachers who couldn't even communicate with me. My Korea was as good as their English, which is really, really bad.

Check out the article for more specifics.

Dan

YouTube - Did You Know 2.0

2008-01-15T23:31:00.000-08:00

YouTube - Did You Know 2.0

I'm likely behind on promoting this video, but better late than never. It isn't a new message, but it's a great new way to present the message.

What is the message, you ask? It's that our approach to education (and policies across the board) need to change in order to compete in the 21st Century. Education needs to stay ahead of the change instead of consistently lagging behind.

We, as a global society, need to consider not only how our physical neighbors will fare in this change, but how the rest of the increasingly connected world will as well. I'm weaving in my personal interpretation here, but I have a feeling that the producers would agree.

Enjoy.

Dan

YouTube - People in Order (correct version)

2008-01-13T19:51:00.000-08:00

YouTube - People in Order (correct version)

This is a fun video. While not easy, this is the type of video that your students could do and learn quite a lot from.

Dan

Google Earth | Santa Tracker 2006

2007-12-03T03:09:00.000-08:00

Google Earth | Santa Tracker 2006

Track Santa in the 21st Century :)

Technology key to stopping piracy - CNN.com

2007-11-26T18:38:00.000-08:00

Technology key to stopping piracy - CNN.com

When are they going to learn? Technology won't stop anything. It is just going to drive more of a black economy. This is a war (not of the cold variety) that pits software/media companies against their potential customers. Dare I compare the US approach in Iraq to this mess. Throwing a bunch of soldiers at a problem only results in pushback.

Making it better for people to go the legal route than the illegal route is the only way to combat this problem for companies. I actually think that Microsoft is doing this, which isn't mentioned in the article. They offer easier rollouts of updates and access to bonus applications (i.e., PhotoStory 3) for authentic versions of their software. This value-added approach is how you bring customers into the fold. Not by going to war with them.

I have one of those Genuine Advantage stories that show how honest customers are hurt by these technological fixes. Just the other day I started up an old laptop that I hadn't used in a few months. Upon starting the computer I received a message that I could be the victim of software fraud. Oh, my! I'm a victim. The only thing that I am a victim of is an inept technological DRM fix.

That computer has an educational version of XP that was bought at my university bookstore as part of a legitimate Microsoft deal with the school. Not to mention the fact that the computer itself has another XP license that came with the system (no system disk, so it was easier to load the educational copy). Now, I get a message at startup, that I have to click through, saying that I don't have a Genuine copy. While it's not big deal because I'm giving it to my brother-in-law who needs to load it with a Korean OS, it frustrates me to no end that my legal copy is now flagged as being not Genuine and, is thus, of no use to me any longer.

These technological methods are anti-consumer. While they make it more difficult for pirates to do business, they also make it more difficult for honest consumers to do business as well. Anyone who thinks that there is a technological fix for the piracy problem is an idiot. Sorry, can't pull my punches on this one.

Dan

YouTube - real choctaw stickball

2007-10-27T18:31:00.000-07:00

YouTube - real choctaw stickball

This is really an amazing video. I simply didn't know that it was played any more. This is the sport that lacrosse grew out of.

If you don't have time to watch this, just think about lacrosse mixed with a gang fight with everyone armed with sticks :)

Taming Baby Rage: Why Are Some Kids So Angry?: Scientific American

2007-10-22T19:21:00.000-07:00

Taming Baby Rage: Why Are Some Kids So Angry?: Scientific American

At least this makes more sense than, "the darn video games made my boy kill" protests. Saying that video games or other media cause people to commit violence is simply not supportable. All of the studies that I've seen merely correlate violent media with acts of violence (and they don't even do this well). All that says is that people who are violent like violent media. Anyone with an ounce of research savvy can tell you that this means very little. Correlation and causation are very different, with the latter being very difficult to substantiate.

So, before you start bad mouthing the media, it might be a good idea to think about parenting, genetics, or other explanations that also correlate with violent behavior.

Be careful of the band wagon.

Dan

OUseful Info: How to Build Your Own Facebook App

2007-10-18T05:13:00.000-07:00

OUseful Info: How to Build Your Own Facebook App

I can't believe that Facebook doesn't make it easier to embed widgets on your profile, but with a little elbow grease, you can make your own Facebook apps.

There are some great suggestions in this posting, with the most intriguing on being Popfly's tie in.

Dan

Why I bought the Radiohead album

2007-10-12T19:56:00.000-07:00

R A D I O H E A D

Before today, I hadn't bought an album (DVD, CD, tape, record, 8-track, etc.) for the last 5 years and now that I think about it, it might have been more like 9 years ago--when I bought Radiohead's OK COMPUTER. Don't go jumping to conclusions based on this confession. I haven't been illegally downloading music either.

I had a large 200+ CD collection prior to the MP3 revolution. I ripped those years ago and now they are packed away in my parents attic. Maybe I'll put them out at family occasions in 20 years for laughs. However, that CD collection gave me a sizable MP3 collection, though it wasn't growing with the times.

Around the year 2000, I stopped buying CDs altogether. At that time, I discovered the growing number of online radio stations. It was at that point, when I gave up on "owning" music. I could legally and guiltlessly listen to just about any music that I wanted to: new, old, those that I know well and those that I'm discovering for the first time.

At that time, I had no MP3 player and everywhere that I was on a computer, I had an Internet connection. With that in mind, why buy? Times have changed though. I got my own MP3 player a little more than a year ago and I'm hooked. I primarily listen to podcasts, but I also like to flip through my music collection (most of which fits on the player) occasionally. Internet radio no longer serves my purposes.

However, I still refused to buy MP3's online. The DRM (digital rights management) got in the way of my moving files around to multiple computers and even multiple MP3 players (I use one just for the family stereo--mostly children's songs these days). When I first got onto iTunes, I was excited to buy music. I tested the waters with one of their free downloads and it took me a while to figure out how to get the damned thing on my player. DRM got in the way. I decided not to buy anything from iTunes, though I had (and still have) a $15 gift card collecting dust on my desk.

With iTunes now selling un-DRM'ed tracks, I might venture back. The problem is that I still see iTunes as part of the problem. Their proprietary files and services are walling me in and restricting my ability to interact with the content. This is not just true of music, but video and podcasts as well. Not to mention that the iTunes store is really a hulking mess of software that eats my memory and takes forever to complete tasks in (and I won't even mention the awful library functions---oops, I just did).

This is where I finally get to the new Radiohead album In Rainbows (linked to in the title). There has been plenty about this in the media (at least tech-media), but you might not have seen too much about it. They are a popular group with a very large fan-base and they decided to forgo the music companies and even the might iTunes store and sell their album on their site WITHOUT DRM. This isn't so surprising, but what is is that they let the buyer choose their price. Buyer could choose to pay nothing for the album (45p processing fee though). I really hope that this is the direction that media will be going in. I'd even be in favor of sliding scales depending on sales volume (low demand, low price; high demand high price).

So, did I buy the album because I wanted another folder on my computer full of music? NO. I bought the album because I want to support the movement. Actually, I probably paid too much, though a lot less than an (legal) album in Korea.

Now, I want to address the recent "controversy" over the possible reasons for releasing and the quality of the album. MTV news (http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1571737/20071011/radiohead.jhtml) reports that people are upset because of the 160 kbps bit rate. Give me a break! iTunes is at 128kbps and sells songs for much more than you can potentially buy them here. Even with their new DRM-free songs at 256kbps, what's really the difference? I haven't owned speakers bigger than those next to my computer for years. Might I hear the difference otherwise, possibly, but all of my listening in either on my computer, MP3 player, or in a car.....NO DIFFERENCE!

The article also bring up possible statements by their management saying that this was a way of helping them sell CD's....GREAT! Good for them. I love the effort. I hope they sell lots. However, they never would have sold one to me had it not been for this move.

Overall it's good for the fans and good for the industry as a whole (maybe not the big guys--change or die fellas)

By-the-way, I just finished listening to the album near the end of this post. It's really good as a whole. If I were to buy it song by song, I probably would have only taken 3 or 4 of them. With that in mind, maybe 2-3 pounds would be a good price to pay.

Dan

YouTube survey

2007-10-11T23:52:00.000-07:00

SurveyShare YouTube Survey

Hi all. This is a survey that Curt Bonk is conducting on the use of YouTube in education/training. It's a quick (10 min) survey that includes watching 1 short education/tech-related video. Go help him and fill it out.

You can help me too. If you refer someone, you get some free time in the pro account for SurveyShare, so drop my email address in there (danielcraig@hotmail.com).

Dan

Teleport? No. Telecopy? Yes.

2007-10-11T22:29:00.000-07:00

Beam me up: Just how close are we to teleportation? - CNN.com

Come on! This is just too cool.

I've heard rumblings of this experiments for a while, but this is the first article that I've seen with a good explanation for what's going on.

I have humble dreams of being teleported from Seoul to Chicago for birthday parties and anniversaries. This would give a new meaning to weekend getaways!

Unfortunately, this is not necessarily teleportation; it's more like telecopying. None-the-less, it's still very cool. At a minimum, just think of telecopying basic compounds from earth to bases on other planets or even from areas with to those without. Water in the Sahara anyone?

Read the article.

Dan

The New Rules Of Technology VC

2007-10-08T06:57:00.000-07:00

The New Rules Of Technology VC

This isn't what I normally post on, but I find myself more and more interested in what it takes to launch a startup these days. The barriers to development and overhead seem to be crashing down. What is to stop someone with a good idea and a couple thousand bucks from running with an idea? Even if you can't code, outsource it. Heck, even college students are making a couple extra bucks coding. Just snag a couple outside some computer science class and make an offer they can't refuse.

According to this post, that's essentially what VC firms are finding out too. The competition has increased because lower investment requirements have enabled smaller funds to change the rules.

I bet there are thousands of folks out there who could get some site or service off the ground with just $20-30K. Seems like it could pay off better that the multi-million dollar crap tosses of old.

Dan

Guess-the-Google

2007-09-29T02:45:00.000-07:00

guess-the-google

VERY fun game that takes results from Google images and makes you guess the word. The time limit to too short for English learners.

I only got a little over 200 my first time out. It's a tough game. Give it a try.

Learn to Speak Korean videos

2007-09-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

Learn to Speak Korean

Here are a collection of videos from a series called "Learn to Speak Korean". This site has what seems to be season 1. After working through these, I might have to look into seasons 2 & 3 as well.

I really like video language lessons. I just find them so much more memorable and easy to follow. I just wish that I could get these on my iPod (easily). They would be nice to watch on the road.

Here is an example. I have to warn you that you need the Divx plug in to see this. Lesson 1 is good for basic greetings.

Dan

The REAL Superman suit

2007-09-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

Photos: Tech visions of future from NextFest | CNET News.com

I thought that this was SOOO cool. There's a lot of neat tech at NextFest, but this is one that caught my eye. This suit by D30 Labs is made of a material that hardens on impact. Their market is now with motorcycle garb, but with a nod to police and the military.

Just think, though, in the near future children wearing coats made from this material. It would make playing king of the hill much more interesting.

Dan

Vintage Sesame Street - Rubber Duckie (Ernie)

2007-09-13T05:48:00.000-07:00

YouTube - Vintage Sesame Street - Rubber Duckie (Ernie)

An absolute classic. Who could ever forget Ernie singing the Rubber Ducky song?

Dan

American Experience | Chicago: City of the Century

2007-09-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

American Experience | Chicago: City of the Century

I feel a little bad about adding non-tech, non-education materials here. I've been using this site as more of a repository for everything that I don't add to the IUCALL blog.

However, this could certainly be a good resource to use in the classroom, including the teacher resources that come with the site. I always like to point to materials about my hometown. As a teacher in a foreign land, I find that it helps learners to identify we me as more than just an American. As most of us, I can not just my nationality; I also have regional, religious, professional, and even familial aspects of my identity.

Dan

Fan death - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2007-09-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

Fan death - Wikipedia

I rallied against the belief in fan death for a long time, but, for the most part, I have stopped pushing the issue. However, I am constantly surprised that even doctors and medical researchers hold this belief.

Still, I try to listen to all reasonable explanations, of which the hypothermia hypothesis seems the most reasonable.

Here's quick video about fan death

Dan