Maybe a Sports Fan After All?

Thanksgiving offered a MUCH needed break. For a few days I actually forgot about how much I still have to do before Christmas break. Wonderful, really. I spent time with my parents and got to see some of my best friends in Atlanta. And J kept me well entertained. He took me to another hockey game, this time right on the ice. I jumped more than once when the players slammed up against the wall right where we were. And the Thrashers won, which added to the fun.

In the same night, J's magic got us into the Georgia/Georgia Tech football game at Tech, which is, of course, THE GAME at home. I grew up HATING football (Sorry, Dad), but in recent years I've learned to enjoy it, and it was a lot of fun to watch. It was a close game, but Georgia managed an interception at the end that gave them the win. My dad and brother were of course thrilled. J wasn't so pleased.

Tuesday

I have just turned in the paper. It may not be a masterpiece, but I have survived it, and it is turned in. Now, to pack, and then a few hours of sleep to add to the 1.5 I got this morning from 8:30-10...

It will be so good to be home!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Monday

Bridging the Digital Divide

Three cheers for technology that advances international development!

Sub-$100 laptop design unveiled

One MIT professor Nicholas Negroponte has developed a laptop that costs less than $100. Why? Because children in developing countries can't afford them at current prices. And because many children even here can't afford them. The "digital divide" means faster and faster progress for those who have access to technology, while those with no access are left ever-further behind. So much for convergence theory-until now. Expected to come out in late 2006 or early 2007, these laptops will not be available for sale but will be distributed directly to schools through government programs, domestic and internationally.

The laptops are highly portable and will have a handcrank for locations without electricity. They will be enabled for "peer-to-peer" networking and wifi internet connectivity. The low price is possible because of technology developed to create a display that can be produced for $35-an incredible reduction. They are also designed to be adjusted for viewing in a range of lighting conditions.

You can check out the design plans here:One Laptop per Child

Bridging the Digital Divide

Three cheers for technology that advances international development!

Sub-$100 laptop design unveiled

One MIT professor Nicholas Negroponte has developed a laptop that costs less than $100. Why? Because children in developing countries can't afford them at current prices. And because many children even here can't afford them. The "digital divide" means faster and faster progress for those who have access to technology, while those with no access are left ever-further behind. So much for convergence theory-until now. Expected to come out in late 2006 or early 2007, these laptops will not be available for sale but will be distributed directly to schools through government programs, domestic and internationally.

The laptops are highly portable and will have a handcrank for locations without electricity. They will be enabled for "peer-to-peer" networking and wifi internet connectivity. The low price is possible because of technology developed to create a display that can be produced for $35-an incredible reduction. They are also designed to be adjusted for viewing in a range of lighting conditions.

You can check out the design plans here:One Laptop per Child

Bad Joke of the Day

Q: When is it bad luck to meet a black cat?

A: When you're a mouse.

*This Bad Joke of the Day has been brought to you by Laffy Taffy.

Final (?) Internet Participants

To be able to continue to receive one free hour of education-related internet time each month, the teachers from the seminar have to send an email each month to report what they are researching and which websites they find. As of the (fuzzy) final cut-off for the first round (it was supposed to be one month, but numerous complications won out, extending the deadline to somewhere mid-October, with stragglers still allowed in) there are 26 participants.

Of the 26, one of these was a student who we ended up using as a computer teacher and have pulled out from the list of seminar participants (the official number of registrees is then 58). Two more are teachers who were not participants in the seminar but who were very helpful in the setting up and running of the seminar. 54 of the original 58 registrees graduated (I'll verify this number), and three of the graduates finished without an email address. So, 23 of 51 trainees with email addresses have joined the program by sending an email.

Not all of the internet program participants have managed to explain what they search for (though this is improving), and not one has listed a website found. The rules have been flexible in this so far. One possible reason for a lack of websites might be that they write as the first thing, before they've found any websites during that session.

Angeli in Haiti

I just wanted to mention that I've been updating my other blog Angeli in Haiti a little bit lately. I'll try to do more as I manage more of the data. Teachers have been emailing the program, and the director Joy is going back in a week, so we're getting a better sense of what's going on there....

Anecdotal Successes

Throughout the training, and afterwards, Joy and I have worried that while the teachers found the course interesting, they wouldn't want or be able to apply any of it in their own classrooms.

But, just from keeping tabs on the emails teachers send in to Pwof Ansanm (which is itself a success!) I have a few "warm fuzzies" to report:

Teacher 21 wrote in October to say that he had been using the internet to look up information on distance for a lesson. To keep the students interested and to do something hands-on, during class he had them measure the dimensions of the classroom, their heights, etc. The active lesson was so popular that the students in other classes were begging their teachers to do the same. (I also have the feeling that this may have been the first time most of the students knew their own height.)

Teacher 21 wrote again this month to say he was using the internet to research space and vectors. He reports that he encouragess them to see what discoveries they can make on the internet.

Teacher 41 wrote this month that he along with Teacher 51 organized a debate with some of the students, reporting that it was quite interesting. The debate was one of the activities over the summer that was wrought with drama and complications, but it turned out to be so popular that people requested a second round.

The teachers have also organized themselves to have a two- or three-day seminar at one of the high schools to share what they've learned with the rest of the teachers at that school. If everything goes according to plan, it will take place in about a week. Joy will also be visiting at that time, so she will be able to observe the process. It is exciting to note that she is not the one organizing the seminar. The teachers really are doing it.

It's nice to see at least a few signs of progress. Change takes time, and it's hard to be patient, but as I had my English students there frequently repeat, "Rome wasn't built in a day!"

Decluttering

In an effort to reduce clutter...

I just finished changing the last of my bills to online billing. That's how I pay anyway, so I end up not even opening the bills when they come in the mail, and it's more to had to get rid of. Then I unsubscribed to most of the random email lists I've ended up on. There's a little sense of relief in the process.

I also called to disconnect our home phone; we don't use it anymore now that Jennifer's cell gets reception in the apartment.

Biting the Bullet

After spending half of my graduate school life (Okay, I exaggerate, but only a little.) in the Hurst Social Science (Statistical) Computer Lab, and after getting kicked out of the lab last Friday night because it was closing(sad, I know), I have finally decided to go ahead and purchase STATA, the statistical software that I use for everything. Haiti data, an empirical assignment this semester, my SRP (Substantial Research Paper, basically a thesis)...

Now, I'm trying to figure out why I didn't just go ahead and buy it last semester...

Biting the Bullet

After spending half of my graduate school life (Okay, I exaggerate, but only a little.) in the Hurst Social Science (Statistical) Computer Lab, and after getting kicked out of the lab last Friday night because it was closing(sad, I know), I have finally decided to go ahead and purchase STATA, the statistical software that I use for everything. Haiti data, an empirical assignment this semester, my SRP (Substantial Research Paper, basically a thesis)...

Now, I'm trying to figure out why I didn't just go ahead and buy it last semester...

Data Coming Soon!

I'm in the process of writing up the evaluation I went to Haiti to do, so I've been doing more intensive cleaning of the data. I will be posting some of the results soon!

Making Walmart Nervous

What do Wal-mart, car dealers, and newspapers all have in common?

They're afraid of Google.

I read an interesting Times article this morning about how internet searches give consumers increased price information while requiring less effort, increasing the real competition that businesses like Wal-mart face. (If you don't already have a NY Times sign-in, you can use "aktimesreader" with password "akreader.")

Car dealers? Same thing; consumers are better prepared with information. They can read all about their cars of interest online, often comparing prices or evening finding an online dealer.

And newspapers? Online ads are proving to be highly effective, which reduces companies' incentive to pay for printed ads.

In the end, consumers win. Reducing the cost of information should increase efficiency and productivity (and lower costs), though not before wreaking some havoc in the process, as businesses and workers scramble to adjust.

Iraq Realities Close to Home

I received word today from my childhood friend J that her little brother was injured last night by a grenade in Fallujah. That's three injuries for the people I know there- all two of them. While I am thankful that dear Adam Fus is only injured, I hate that the US has entered into such a mess. So many people on both sides suffer.

I hope for peace. Soon.

Oh, the Irony!

Well, when i arrived today, I was pleased to find a nice, clean, appetizing box of fresh, organic produce at our door. I was amused to see VERY specific directions written on the box, followed by exclamation marks: "Back yard, under deck, glass doors!!!" It seems Washington's Green Grocer has redeemed itself.

I decided to check out their website today, for kicks. I laughed out loud when I read the headline of the website, which reads "We're Proud to Sell You a Lemon!"

I couldn't have described our experience with our last box any better myself.

Organic Produce Service Failures

More mold.

But this time it wasn't my fault. About a month ago, Jennifer and I joined an organic (and local, we thought until we received bananas and avocados) produce delivery service that she had heard of through a friend. It just hasn't QUITE worked out as planned.

Each Monday we get an emailed list of the produce that will be delivered, with the option of switching out certain items we might not like for more of other items that we do like in the Thursday delivery. We tried to do that with our first box (and we've only had one box, technically, so far), but we really just got the generic box, which turned out to be fine.

We've opted for bi-weekly service, as there are only two of us and it takes us a while to work through the produce. So after a week off, we waited anxiously for our second delivery to arrive last Thursday with all the ingredients of a wonderful salad... We waited, and we waited....

No box arrived.

Jennifer emailed the company, who EVENTUALLY wrote back to say that they didn't know what had happened but that we wouldn't be charged and we'd receive a delivery this Thursday.

Then tonight Jennifer came into the apartment with two giant boxes. One from Amazon, and one mysterious one we thought was from Amazon, both of which were left on the front porch. So she opened up box number one- no drama there. Then, the oddly labeled box number two...The first thing I saw seemed to be rotten celery, though I'm still not sure. Following the celery were moldy grapes, moldy lettuce, moldy potatoes, moldy... You get the picture.

Gross, really gross.

So Jennifer emailed the company again to say that a box did arrive, disgusting, and we'd like to cancel the service. To which they responded that the box must have been delivered to the wrong place, and someone else brought it to the house (It did have our address on it). After apologizing profusely, our friend Z offered to deliver a box free tomorrow, if we'd be willing to give it a second chance.

So I'll let you know how it goes. And I expect Jennifer will post photos soon.