Just Ask Gammaw

Although I think the webmaster/originator/teacher that has created this actually named "Fran", I gather that there are some folks who call her "Gammaw".

Anyway, this Gammaw has her own website with all sorts of tutorials and other aids/tips/handy info at her Gammaw Geek site.

Lots here!

Can't Read That, Huh?

I've occasionally been accused of having handwriting that is -- well -- a "challenge". Palaeography is the study of making sense of challenging handwriting, typically in historical (obviously handwritten) documents.

Courtesy of the National Archives is a set of resources, including a tutorial, that will give you tips on how to decipher that old (or more recent) scratch that is just not making sense.

Stealing Ideas

Discovery Channel (cable) has a program called, It Takes A Thief. I'm going to have to catch this one. Apparently the set-up is that the program follows and films some actual (former) thieves as they try to break into a (pre-arranged) home. We get to watch their techniques and, afterward, glean ideas on how to better protect our own homes from this kind of instrusion and violation.

What will they think of next!?

A Defiant Tacoman

Although I've been gone from Tacoma for more years than I would care to admit, I know the town where I grew up has not entirely left my consciousness. I've already brought you a link about the "Galloping Gertie" Narrows Bridge.

Now I take you to a very picturesque part of Tacoma: Point Defiance Park. Here is a site dedicated to this refuge from the city streets and noise. You can walk, run, bike, and (yes) drive through miles of trees and nature. You can also stop at Fort Nisqually and play our some historical dramas, if you have a fancy to.

Point Defiance Park is a place filled with a number of great childhood memories -- of family picnics, swims on the beach, eating at waterfront restaurants, watching the ferry leave for or return from Vashon Island.

It's a great place!

Copy That

One of the challenges we teachers face is keeping ourselves and our students aware of, and in compliance with, the concepts (and laws) surrounding copyright and fair use.

In the school setting, one issue that is often on the minds of teachers -- perhaps more so in high school and college, than in middle or elementary school -- is plagiarism.

Click here to go to a good resource for information about all these related realities of today's classroom.

Make Mine Vanilla

Here is all you need to know about that favorite for those of us who love vanilla ice cream....the vanilla bean!

What A Way To Go

In case you've wondered if there are a set of recommendations about how to take your leave in as environmentally-friendly way as possible, read this article from Mother Earth News.

Choosing A Career

One of the biggest challenges, I imagine, for some kids anyway is deciding what to do with the rest of their lives once they're out of school.

One online resource that can help kids (and maybe grown kids, too) hone in on that thing they might want to explore as a college pursuit and career is TheFunWorks.

You can take a quiz to help identify your real interests and get hooked up with some great career tips and resources.

Keep It Hoppin' And Poppin'

Guess what? October is National Popcorn Month!!! Now I'm a fan of popcorn, but in our family we have a couple people who need a popcorn fix every day.

Click here for a gathering of pages about popcorn. There are some activities and games, too. Enjoy....and keep your microwave busy all month!

So You Wanna Learn Something?

Well, then, go to SoYouWanna.com.

Here's their succinct summary of the mission:

SoYouWanna.com teaches you how to do all the things nobody taught you in school.

Fascinating place, well worth a visit!

Once Upon An Eon

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has a unit devoted to the study of geological time.

Called, Geologic Time: The Story of a Changing Earth, this site presents the visitor with all kinds of information about the phases in our earth's formation and history.

This is the place to come to get some sense of the span of time the earth has been evolving to where it is today. We might think that life goes by in the "blink of an eye." Seeing this timeline, and realizing how many billions of years have passed, will put our time on earth in a completely different perspective.

Help Resource For Hurricane Survivors

As a sort of follow-up to my earlier post regarding resources for Katrina survivors, I add the US government's attempt to help people out.

Housed at FirstGov.gov, the "federal government's official web portal," there is a Hurricane Recovery site dedicated to providing information and links to those affected by these disasters and those who want to help those made homeless or who were injured during, or in the aftermath, of the storms.

There are linked resources for Finding Family and Friends, How To Get Help, Shelter and Housing for Survivors, and so on.

In fact, even at the FirstGov.gov home page, there are many, many resources listed for information and help.

Another terrible storm

Hurricane Rita has arrived after days of ominous progress toward the Gulf area of the U.S. I mark this event with a link to an article summarizing Rita's birth, development, progress, and devastation on Wikipedia, the free, online encyclopedia "that anyone can edit."

My reaction toward this whole idea of there being an encyclopedia -- something I've always associated with an absolute and ultimate authority on a vast range of topics -- that this would be a resource that could be edited by anyone has evolved. I used to assume that such a thing could not possible have any validity to a more moderated attitude which is a mixture of curiosity and "hmmm, maybe they're on to something!" More about Wikipedia later.

Click here for the article on Hurricane Rita.

Help Resource For Katrina Survivors

A wiki site has been assembled that has collected a number of resources for people injured, displaced, separated from family, out of work, homeless, and otherwise in need of help.

Click here.

Looking At New Orleans From Many Perspectives

The New York Times has an interactive set of maps of New Orleans that shows us a number of aspects of this disaster.

The first map gives us a chance to see a satellite image of the city (dated August 31). By clicking on various buttons you can view the area by elevation (above & below sea level) or by population density, by non-white population, and by median income. Being able to see this information helps bring into much sharper focus the realities of the scope of the catastrophe including the topological layout of the city. The sociological ramifications are also inescapable.

The locations of some of the primary landmarks we see and hear about in news reportsand (i.e. the Superdome, the Convention Center, the 17th Street breach of the levee, the French Quarter, etc.) are labeled which help orient us to the geography of the area.

Other maps at this site indicate regional updates which show where refugees are finding shelter and help, and yet another map has additional (and updated) satellite images of the region.

For those of us who are trying to visualize the levee system, there is a map that clearly lays out the incredibly intricate system that has protected New Orleans for so long and its pumping stations.

Two additional maps are there. One displays the evacuation routes which give another indication of the widespread damage as it shows how many roadways are closed. Finally, there is a map that shows the location of the oil platforms out in the gulf and graphs that show why the potential impact on the oil industry is so great.

As difficult as it is to grasp what has been and is going on in that part of our country, this series of maps help a great deal in getting some idea of the exceptionally daunting challenges facing the people who live in that area, have been completely uprooted, and have nothing left.

It also helps us see the challenge all of us as US citizens face as we continue the task of helping many thousands of our fellow citizens regain their health, their homes, and their lives.

The American Red Cross

I don't imagine that there is any group or organization in this world that is perfect, either in its mission or in how it carries out its mission.

However, over the years as we've seen various disasters in this world -- including the ones that have happened in the US (many previous natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, extreme weather) -- it seems to me that the International Red Cross (International Committee of the Red Cross/ICRC) and the American Red Cross are both heroic and absolutely crucial in times of great need.

If not "perfect" in mission and actions, it seems to come darn close.

At times like these, I cannot think of another organization that needs our financial support more than the Red Cross.

The web site for our local (Seattle) chapter is available by clicking here.

Celebrate the (ahem) Colon, the Semi-colon (oh, now I get it), the Question Mark, Period and More

Yes, folks, today is National Punctuation Day. Every August 22nd.

"A celebration of the lowly comma, correctly used quotes, and other proper uses of periods, semi-colons, and the ever-mysterious ellipsis."

Party Hardy!!!

Bob Moog ---- 1934-2005

Although I spent some years teaching electronic music at the school where I've worked for a bit, I didn't ever actually use a Moog synthesizer in my electronic music lab. But I knew that none of the keyboard synthesizers I did use would probably have existed were it not for the pioneering work of Bob Moog.

Today marks his passing. Although I don't know many of the details, I understand that he suffered from a brain tumor.

I took this occasion to visit a site that is dedicated to Moog Music. There is, naturally, much information gathered here that promotes the music and instruments developed and inspired by Bob Moog. At the moment, there is also articles that celebrate the life of this energetic and creative force in music.

Mummies, Ancient Egypt, and Your Here-after

A website -- Museum of Science - Ancient Egypt, Science and Technology -- presents not only a range of fascinating information about one of my favorite subjects: mummies, but much, much more.

You can explore Egyptian excavations and learn about Egyptian afterlife.

Not only that, there is a link on this site where you can start planning your afterlife (it's a site called "Eternity Travel.com". Talk about using technology to plan ahead!

(Don't miss the opportunity to send a "buried message", too.)

Amazing Migrations Of Some Amazing Birds

Thanks to some great deaktop wallpaper I saw at a colleague's workstation, I have found a website with a wealth of information about migrating birds. Somewhat unusually, in a sense, the starting point for this breadth of information about migration, migration patterns, migration routes, habitat, and other aspects of the birds presented, is a website promoting a major studio's film. Sony Pictures Classics released Winged Migration back in 2001 and it was met with generally favorable reviews. Great for Sony to have kept this site up for this long and, we can hope, for a while yet.

Whether or not you end up wanting to see the movie on DVD, visit the site. You can explore the movie, check out links for the birds whose migration the movie showed, and even download a few images for your desktop wallpaper, if you wish.