http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

I, like the many millions of computer users out there, used to worship at the altar of Microsoft. I was a slave to the dreaded windows OS and have come face to face with the dreaded blue screen of death more times than I care to count.

My personal experience with the Windows OS forced me to learn how to troubleshoot common pc problems, update drivers, switch out hardware and peripherals, rid my HDD of viruses, and eventually how to place a fresh install on my box of choice.

I was happy to do this up until sometime last year. My wife tried to download a documentary from zshare and we were greeted by the blue screen of death. I was unable to clean the virus off this last time and lost countless photos, songs, and many other files. I was not pleased. I vowed to rid myself of my unholy dependence on Microsoft.

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Tags:   blue screen of death · free · microsoft · opensource · Ubuntu · windows1 Comment

The wife and I went to South Carolina last night and rang in 2009 with family.

Being with the people you love is so much more fun than going to a party, club, bar, cabaret, or any other traditional expensive and overrated NYE events.

I think I’m going to actually make ONE resolution for the new year; spend more time with family and friends. They truly help to make life worth living.

Happy New Year from your friendly neighborhood math teacher and hip hop geek.

Enjoy the Skillz 2008 wrap up

2008 Rap Up-clean - Skillz

JDM

Tags:   happy new yearNo Comments.

I don’t really do resolutions. I always get sidetracked and end up doing what I want to do in the end…so…instead I’m going to do a list of….stuff for 2009.

10. Spend less time on FB - I’ve been reading lots of articles about productivity and none of them mention the time thieves that are social networks. These things have robbed me of so many hours over the last few years. I had to delete my Myspace account and I’ve flirted with committing FB suicide for months now. Maybe I’ll start twittering instead.

9. Save more money - This isn’t really a resolution. I’ve been contributing about $100 per month to saving and another 100 per month to an after tax IRA. I want to ramp that up to at least $150 each and the wife and I are trying to save a grand once every quarter. I’ll let you know how that one goes at the end of January.

8. Take care of home - I’ve been doing a pretty bad job of taking care of my home…but we’ve rectified much of that this holiday season by painting, de-cluttering, cleaning, etc. We just need to keep it up

7. Finish the Peachtree road race - I am by no means a fat guy but I am incredibly out of shape. I suck wind after jogging for about 5 minutes and I’m only 27. I just want to finish the road race this year. I don’t need to run or jog…I just need to finish.

6. Read more

5. Write more

4. Continue to eat better

3. Purchase a rental property in 2009

2. Be more selfish at work. I give a lot to the folks at work and I need to start being more selfish with my time and energy.

1. Enjoy life. I work hard. This year I plan to play as hard as I’ve worked in the past.

Happy NY to you all.

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I always loved this poem. I’m such a nerd.

I’m sure that I will always be
A lonely number like root three

The three is all that’s good and right,
Why must my three keep out of sight
Beneath the vicious square root sign,
I wish instead I were a nine

For nine could thwart this evil trick,
with just some quick arithmetic

I know I’ll never see the sun, as 1.7321
Such is my reality, a sad irrationality

When hark! What is this I see,
Another square root of a three

As quietly co-waltzing by,
Together now we multiply
To form a number we prefer,
Rejoicing as an integer

We break free from our mortal bonds
With the wave of magic wands

Our square root signs become unglued
Your love for me has been renewed

Kids these days need more school house rock in their lives.

Tags:   HAROLD AND KUMAR · ROOT 3 · school house rockNo Comments.

My wife and I have been on a bit of a home improvement spree since the winter vacation began. We’ve painted both upstairs bathrooms, de-cluttered the downstairs living area, donated gobs of stuff to good will, somewhat de-cluttered the home office ( this is an ongoing work in progress ), printed and framed some vacation photos, posters, and artwork, and I have even found the time to try my hand at hanging some invisible book shelves.

I got the plans from instructables and they were very inexpensive and simple to install. I think they add an interesting architectural/storage solution for some of the books that have found their way into various nooks and crannies in my home.

I’ll post more photos of the office once I’m done with it all.

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Talk to them about more than your content. Show them that you’re interesting and they will take interest in you and in your class.

If you’re a math teacher and all you can talk to them about is math, well then, shame on you. But just imagine what it would be like if you needed some advice from a perceived authority figure and all they could tell you is “I only do moth.” You will quickly lose all credibility with your students and they will quickly lose interest in you and ANYTHING you have to say to them.

If you’re into gardening then share that with them. If you love rap music talk to the students about it during home room. If you’re an accomplished cellist or the ring toss champion of the summer of 1984 at Coney Island, then let your students know these things about you. They will crack jokes at first but eventually they will ask you about these things and your life and your subject. I’ve done it. It works. Tear down those artificial barriers that so many generations of educators have built up between themselves and their students.

The best educators learn and teach among their students and the best way to achieve such a goal is to share yourself with them.

Tags:   Top 10 ways to survive your first year in an urban schoolNo Comments.

Aren’t we in a recession ?

I’m quite sure the money in the video is probably fake…but really?? Now I have to go explain to my students the difference between scripted reality tv and reality.

Sigh. This is why I don’t listen to the radio anymore. I’m always afraid it will make me stupid.

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All aboard my train of thought, have your tickets ready
listen to that whistle blow, the steam is hot and heavy
we rock steady, we dreamed dreams of black rock stars
controlling soles and moving minds from behind these bars

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I read an article somewhere…and I can’t remember where ( probably wired magazine ) that said programmers and other creative types are most productive at night. I felt shortchanged because my job pretty much prevents me from being able to stay away past 10pm on most nights if I’m to be effective at all the next day. I am usually very tired by 7pm and thus not very productive ( in my creative endeavors that is ) for most of the day.

However, I have discovered the power of the nap. I used to be super anti-napping. I hated naps and the people who took them. I thought it was lazy and an excuse to sleep all day long and boy was I wrong. I take naps over my holiday breaks and I will invariable wake up anywhere between 2 to 3 times per night…but when I wake up I am compelled to read, write, draw, or do something creative…and my output in these late night hours is incredible.

So, if you’re able to do so, take naps…and become a night owl. Your right brain will thank you for it.

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I’m a product of Reganomics and the Internet. I grew up in the time of shrinking after-school budgets, the war on drugs, and the explosion of the cultural and technological phenomenon that we have all come to know and love as the world wide web. Many of my students have grown up with similar influences so teachers of my ilk and their students probably relate to one another better than any students and teachers have in at least a generation.

I personally believe that the power of social networks to create a true two way learning community between students and teachers is not being fully harnessed by so called policy makers and ed-tech leaders because a generation gap exists as well as the fact that many of the people in charge are just there for the fancy titles and pay increase and not necessarily to help public education reflect the society in which we currently live. The old industrial revolution model doesn’t work anymore and while many of the talking heads in education recognize this very few are actually willing to utilize tools such as Myspace, Facebook, or Ning to interact with students beyond the confines of the brick and mortar school-house.

This is evidenced by the fact that many school districts across the nation have banned teachers from having or interacting with their students online after school hours which I think is ridiculous. Granted, many of these reactionary policies are based upon the countless sex scandals involving teachers and their students. However, such scandals have been taking place for much longer than the internet has been around. If anything, the net makes is easier to catch these perverts because of the long trail of evidence any interaction online leaves behind. Which, in my opinion is another reason for using such technologies.

Creating policies based on fear and innuendo only serves to further solidify claims that k-12 education is out of touch with the needs of modern American society. I remember a time when businesses blocked the use of IM software because stakeholders thought it robbed the company of productivity when the contrary was true. IM’s and other conference software allowed individuals to collaborate without having to be in the same place.Productivity and employee morale actually increased. The same is true for cloud computing and the same can be true of social networks for students. Rather than trying to restrict teacher student-teacher interaction districts should be researching ways to effectively macanximize the collaborative potential as well as the independent learning potential of social networks.

Until such time when information technology is truly integrated into the k12 public school system in the United States we will remain woefully behind the achievement of other developed countries in all content areas and we will see the gap widen until steps are taken to embrace where we are in history rather than react to current circumstances out of fear and ignorance.

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