Ponderings of a Scientist

“I’ve learned that making a ‘living’ is not the same thing as ‘making a life’.” - Maya Angelou

“The right answer would be to make math and science actually interesting, but with those awful tests as the ultimate arbiter of success this is very difficult to do.

No change in education will ever happen in the US until the testing mentality is done away with. No average high functioning adult could pass them so why make kids do it? This makes no sense. What also makes no sense is the idea that math and science are important subjects. You can live a happy life without ever having taken a physics course or knowing what a logarithm is.

On the other hand, being able to reason on the basis of evidence actually is important. Thinking rationally and logically is important. Knowing how to function in a world that includes new technology and all kinds of health issues is important. Knowing how things work and being able to fix them and perhaps design them is important.

Lets get serious. We don’t need more math and science. We need more people who can think.”

-Dr. Schank 

Let me count the ways…

1.  Today is my half-way-there celebration.  Baby Science Monkey is half way through fermentation!

2.  Today is Don Rumsfield’s last day!!! (not that the new guy is any better)

3.  I heard the funniest thing on NPR, some major league pitcher, who missed playoff games with a wrist injury last year, did not hurt his wrist due to bball, rather to “air guitar” i.e. too much Guitar Hero!

Some new baby pictures.  We have one good 3D facial shot, but I’m saving that one for a big Christmas surprise for the families.  So instead you can check out the rear view and some 2D images.  We found out the sex, but I’m not letting that secret out to family until Christmas either.  Enjoy (clkick on the images to enlarge)

        

The fewer people that vote in elections the more divide our country becomes.  Moderates are most apethetic to voting and radicals are most active.

All sources are biased.  We need to stop teaching students “both sides of each story”, or rather not teaching them at all, when only one side can be presented.  Rather, to best prepare our nation for the digital, participatory culture, we need to teach our students to understand inherent bias and how to make good decisions based on the nature of their sources.

Pregnancy is not a disability, however some accomodations are necessary.  Many working women are afraid to ask for such accomodations, however, as they don’t want to be perceived as less than equal to working men.

Can’t we be equal, but different?

By becoming full-time working out-of-the-house contributors to society, women have inadvertently devalued stay-at-home work.