heathjw.org

I'm a technologist, educator and lover of the outdoors. I try to exist at the intersection of technology, sustainability and liberal arts. And of course, common sense.

[heathjw]

Fascinating case study on modern issues of ethics & technology. How will this be viewed decades from now?

[heathjw]

Interesting presentation of the concepts and ideas Google sees itself perpetuating.

[heathjw]

Uncomfortable? Yes. But it needs to be talked about.

Kyle Spencer, from his NYT article, “At New York Private Schools, Challenging White Privilege From the Inside”:

During an exercise called “Who Are You?” Mr. Gay asked students to create their own “identity cards,” writing down terms they wanted to be associated with, in stark contrast to the other exercise, which focused on unwanted identities. One girl wrote “white,” “SoHo” and “Sag Harbor”; another wrote “a very nice person.” Then students paired up, with one responding to the question “Who are you?” The room erupted in noise, with students shouting, “black,” “white,” “straight,” “lesbian,” “Jewish,” “Spanish” and “smart.” “Everyone has a card,” Mr. Gay told the students. “It’s called an identity card. Society doesn’t value each of these identities equally.” Later he added: “It’s no one’s fault. But you should be aware of it.”

I’ve been involved in this incredibly important work as long as I’ve been at my school. The obvious reason is that it’s important work and I want to support the school in this endeavor. But also partially because I didn’t grow up having these conversations, we didn’t talk about whiteness or white privilege comfortably until far beyond college. I want and need this language to be a productive member of society. We started our “Race-Based Affinity Groups” this year after many years of conversation and planning, and we held our second meeting yesterday with a similar activity to what is mentioned above. Students left recognizing how much they had in common, but also that each person has something unique about them. And it was affirmed as a positive part of their identity. These conversations are often hard and need to be moderated delicately and with intention, but we need to lean in to the discomfort. Good things will come of it. (btw this is kind of a who’s who of NYSAIS diversity foundational reading, watching and networking, except that Mariama Richards, Laura Stewart and the rest of the amazing ECFS multicultural teams are absent)

[heathjw]

More of this. More shedding light on the nuance and complication of our times. More dialogue and conversation between people who think they are different. Less generalizations. Life is complex.

[heathjw]

Jenna Wortham, for the New York Times:

And perhaps that’s the true appeal of the series: It does more than blame technology for our woes. It deals with the reality that, no matter what gadgetry we may possess, our problems remain human.

Such a good show, and a popular topic at #NEIT15 this year. Similar to "Her" and "The Circle," I think these cautionary pop culture tales remind us where our behavior can take us with such powerful tools in our hands. It reminds us how truly terrible (and awesome) we can be.

[heathjw]

To people who photograph placards when they visit museums—a group to which I belong—the pen is a godsend. It anticipates a need and executes it; it is a straightforward, useful object. But it’s something more. The pen does something that countless companies, organizations, archives, and libraries are trying to do: It bridges the digital and the physical.

Love taking the analog function and object of the pen and giving it a new digital function in the same object.

[heathjw]

The Whitehouse:

There is a ritual on State of the Union night in Washington. A little before the address, the White House sends out an embargoed copy of the President’s speech to the press (embargoed means that the press can see the speech, but they can’t report on it until a designated time). The reporters then start sending it around town to folks on Capitol Hill to get their reaction, then those people send it to all their friends, and eventually everyone in Washington can read along, but the public remains in the dark. This year we change that.

Very nice. Love to see the government using modern tools to disrupt the normal way of things. More, please.

[heathjw]

The End of Year Review and Planning Process...Everyone Should Follow

Barrett Brooks, for Fizzle:

We set aside a week on the calendar to talk and run reports. It ended up taking two weeks. We met daily, talking for a couple hours each time, covering accomplishments in 2014 and what we hope to do in 2015. In the process, we discovered key insights about our customers, grew as a team and made huge decisions.

This is great stuff, and who could deny the need to reflect on our work to do it better in the future? This is already happening in our best schools -- it's called assessment. We talk a lot about assessing students, and also about evaluating teachers. A process like this could be really valuable for student, teacher, admin and even school-level evaluations/assessment alike. Self-driven, quantified and qualified, reflective and yet visionary. It's just best practice.

(via Shawn Blanc)

[heathjw]

Reused Toilet Paper Tubes

Laura Cochrane, for Make Magazine:

You may be tidy enough to keep your snake pit of miscellaneous cords, cables, and wires all in a single box, but if you want to take your organization to the next level, neatly coil and stow each cord individually inside a toilet paper tube.

The picture is worth a thousand words.

(Via @pottsedtech)

[heathjw]

Ugh/blegh:

This tweet from Republican senator Ted Cruz is just nonsense][tc]:

“Net Neutrality” is Obamacare for the Internet; the Internet should not operate at the speed of government.

That’s word soup. The only similarity to the Affordable Care Act is that Obama supports it. There may well be a rational, reasoned argument against Net Neutrality, but Republicans aren’t making it, and neither are the cable companies or cellular providers. Be wary of the side that can’t express their argument in clear, plain, unambiguous language.

Gross. This is gross. I wasn't big on the debate before today, feeling there was a clear answer already, but the fact that this has become a partisan issue makes this even more unbearable.

[heathjw]

This is some great career advice, not just for the IT crowd that it is written for, but for anyone wanting advancement, enjoyment and stability. It's refreshing to see this coming from the IT perspective, and it's remarkably proactive and not at all spammy.

[heathjw]

Dr. Drang, on his fallen-over-basketball-hoop saga:

The most dramatic example of thermally prestressed glass is in Prince Rupert’s drops, sperm-shaped glass toys created by dropping molten glass into water. The head of the drop is almost impossible to break directly because of it’s high compressive prestress, but any damage to the tail causes the whole thing to shatter into bits. The high-speed camera work in this episode of Smarter Everyday does a great job of showing the fracture progression.

Science! Seriously, watch the video. It’s mind-blowing. Also, Dr. Drang is a perfect example of what makes the Internet so wonderful. Follow his blog at leancrew.com if you don't already.

[heathjw]

(via Instapaper)

[heathjw]

It's weird to reblog my own post, but I think of this almost daily. This sentiment of giving one's self permission to not try to keep up with all the information out there—I think it keeps me sane. It's the sad beautiful truth that we'll miss almost everything. But there is something liberating in that.

[heathjw]

#NYCIST meets #QuirkyEval. Boom. Great space, powerful tools, beer, food, churros, Gilbert Gottfried. Done.

[heathjw]

Awesome perspective into how pro radio is made. Also, wireless lav Mics are indeed amazing. I don't know how anyone does any kind of video or audio production without them.

[heathjw]

Nick Bilton, for the NYT:

Graphene is the strongest, thinnest material known to exist. A form of carbon, it can conduct electricity and heat better than anything else. And get ready for this: It is not only the hardest material in the world, but also one of the most pliable.

We live in the future. The next few decades are going to be insane with what can be accomplished with materials and battery technology. Can’t wait.

[heathjw]

Brenden Mulligan, of Cluster, explains the work his company has done redesigning when their app asks for photo, contact, or push notification permissions. In the end, you have to demonstrate the value before asking. Always show the value.