Not Easy Being

New Blog

2008-09-03T09:06:00.000-04:00

Here is the link to my new class blog for 2008-2009!

http://game-nation.blogspot.com/

END OF TERM

2008-06-05T08:09:00.003-04:00

Apologies all-- some end of term difficulties kept me from having the time to post properly or to finish up the film as of yet (I usually have it ready for the beginning of the next term in any case and will email it around when it is ready). I hope everyone is happyand well! I really enjoyed this semester, though I do need to change some things about the course and may have to return to handing in papers rather than using just Bb6 as that proved problematic in some cases.

Have a good summer!

Dr. J

Just for Fun

2008-05-19T12:40:00.006-04:00

I write all kinds of things, so I thought I would follow Usman's lead and share a poem. This one is a "prose poem" (no real line breaks) about writing. The illustration is from my friend Sara (saradani.com).

Graffiti

The old man they called The Hand wrote on everything: every single thing that could take a mark of red ink, black ink, paints and dyes of all hues, blueberry juice, manure, semen, urine, shit, a spittle soaked finger, the scratching of rocks, worn arrowheads, large sticks, uncut fingernails, hoes and rakes, or discarded sewing needles, to name a very few. Mosaic letters of colored rocks traced across the grass. Thatch roofs were rewoven during the night: a “d”, an “a”, a “w”, and “n” all facing the East. The roofs leaked letters on the rooms below.

The Hand wrote philosophy and poetry—classical, modern, and impromptu. He scrabbled aphorisms, curses, dire predictions, proper names of people and places historical, mythological, and fantastical. He wrote shopping lists on front doors and committee agendas on windows: “Meeting at 8:30am, light breakfast will be served. 10:00am: team building time.” He wrote “Suddenly there’s bears!” down the mid-wife’s stairs. Small children learned to read from the windows and walls. Our village lost its name below the surface of it all.

The old man wrote on cobbled chimneys, outhouses inside and out, rocks, stones, pebbles, pots, pans, small unattended children, and animals too slow or dull witted to avoid his grasping hands. He loved to write curse words on captured migrating birds.

It goes without saying he tattooed his own skin: every inch he could reach with the complete text of Dr. Zhivago. Or so he says. I have never read it. The blank spot on his back he labeled “winter.”

He sometimes wrote on paper and occasionally with pens. He folded these neatly into swans and dragons and flowers and then ate them, usually.

In time, he tattooed our bodies as well: head to toe with our names, important events, undying loves, former undying loves, and downright dead ones. He gave us spells to ward away gout, eczemas, boils, and the common cold.

Hide and seek is not a game our children play—it is our daily life as graffiti bodies wander through painted rooms out into our painted streets.

He wrote himself into our lives for uncounted years until he died. We found his cold lettered body by smell, leaning patiently against the lettered well.

His lettered bones lie there still.

WEEK TEN BLOG

2008-05-15T12:03:00.005-04:00

This week's events revolved around war and veterans and the depiction, or media portrayal, of war and veterans in a feature length film (Platoon), video (Digital Stories), academic articles and discussions. For this week's blog, I would like you to think about the production (to see war as "making something"), commodification (to see war as a product "for sale"), and historitization (to see war as "pivotal history" or "epiphany") of war. You may use any other films, TV shows, books, or other texts you are familiar with to how "war" is depicted and created in media and for what reasons.

Responding actively to ths blog entry and responding to your classmates' blog will help you with the Final In-class Essay next week!

WEEK NINE BLOG

2008-05-06T09:30:00.003-04:00

Hi folks! This week we have a multi-task blog. As I will be unable to meet with you at the NYPL-Performing Arts Branch, I am going to have you form your own “research teams” to go to the library and check it out. You may go to the library on your own schedule, though I am giving you Wednesday as we will not meet as a class on that day. I will be holding extra office hours, however, for those needing one-on-one help. Here is what you should do:

1) Form a group.
2) Find the address and hours of the library and plan your route/travel time.
3) Set up a time and place to meet with your group (There is a big fountain on Lincoln Center which might be a good place). I would suggest planning a solid hour and a 1/2. You DO NOT have to work as a group, nor report out as a group. I would, however, that no one work alone unless absolutely necessary (and approved by me). Having a group allows you to learn things about the place you might not have noticed otherwise.
4) Find the webpage for the Performing Arts library and cruise their collections (see what they have).
5) Make a list of “things to see” while there that interest you or “may” apply to your topic. Be prepared to ask questions! (Suggestions: They have a fantastic collection of DVDs on the first floor and an equally impressive collection of “movie books” on the 2nd floor). Leave some time for just wandering about and checking out what they have.
6) Keep notes of “things of interest” for the class (not just your personal project) to share in your blog.
7) Report out your experience to your blog.

Coffee Grinder

2008-04-29T13:55:00.006-04:00

Our coffee grinder went kibbutz this week so we decided not to replace it with an electric/plastic one at all. I like fresh ground coffee, so I started cruising eBay for a hand-operated, no plastic version and we are also trying to buy used items. I figured we could pop for the $20 or so that a new electric one would cost and, if we liked it, we could get another for spices (Ximena and I cook almost every day from scratch and prefer to use whole spices). So, I found one that looked “antique” and was “used” but they claimed it still worked great. It looked kinda cool and cost about $20 with shipping and handling. We got it yesterday and it works! It was dirty and had to be cleaned, but that only took a little bit. The crank squeeks a tiny bit, so we will have to put a drop of oil on it, but we had coffee this morning after I cranked it up and ground some coffee beans. The downside? It takes about 2 minutes of cranking to get enough coffee for our ½ pot we drink. But, the grinder goes with our old-fashioned stove-top metal coffee pot, so I’m not complaining.

WEEK EIGHT

2008-04-29T08:29:00.002-04:00

This week's blog is "open." You may post, rant, discuss anything you like (as long as it is not offensive to classmates, of course).

Loofah

2008-04-16T07:48:00.003-04:00

So, I was at the grocery store last night and spotted a buch of huge loofah's hanging from a rack. We had been thinking of replacing most of the plastic in the kitchen (and in our daily eating habits--you know, like switching from plastic containers to ceramic and glass) so I nabbed one as they were pretty cheap ($2). I get home, cut baseball sized piece off and start waching dishes with this thing. In case you didn't know, the loofah is a plant. I did not have high hopes that a plant was going to be very useful in washing my dishes especially since I use these high-tech scrubber sponges (blue ones for glasses and yellow ones for everything else) but it really really worked! Who would have guessed? Now if I can find some way to know which one to use for glasses and which one to use for other stuff I am good to go!

NOTE: The glass thing: Ximena has a very strong sense of smell so we have to have a sponge just for glasses otherwise she says things like "Why does my coffee smell like fish again?"

WEEKS SIX and SEVEN

2008-04-09T19:08:00.004-04:00

For the next two weeks' blogs you should report on the following:

1) What did you leanr at the libraries? And, "boredom" is a personal problem that college students keep to themselves. Learn to act interested like I do. Eventually, you will discover that you ARE interested.

2) What are you doing to save the planet now? Even little things can make a difference. I will be posting some more things that I am trying to do as well.

And that is it! I expect to see quite a bit of chatter on these two weeks (you may post responses in any order). Weeks SIX and SEVEN will be graded together after Spring Break.

We are off to the Library

2008-04-08T10:50:00.002-04:00

Learn more about the NYPL Humanities branch here: http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/

Another Photo

2008-04-06T11:02:00.002-04:00

Here is another photo from the AMNH that I liked.

BLOG WEEK FIVE

2008-04-01T09:04:00.003-04:00

Let's save the planet . . . one bottle of water at a time. That's right! This week you get to start doing your little bit to keep us all (literally) above water and neck deep in trash. For the next few weeks' blogs, we will be researching to find information on how we can "go green" in at least some part of our lives. For this first blog in the series, find out what is possible (be sure to document your sources) and what you and your family can do to help save the people who live on this planet and not pass on mounds of troubles to our children and our children’s children. Be sure to explain why certain options are viable for you and your family and others are not.

To start your research, you may want to begin either at Dr. X's blog (a link is listed on my blog to the right) or at the LaGuardia Common Reading Page (a link is on the library page) or simply search "green living" and related terms in Google or Altavista, or Yahoo.

For example: I decided a year ago to try and follow Prof. Lucca in having a "paperless" classroom and have saved a LOT of paper--more than I ever would have thought of. Much more! However, there are also problems with the paperless class as we all use computers and computers use energy, so this is really the lesser of two evils. In my own personal life, I have changed a lot of things including the following:

My wife and I recycle almost everything.

I bought a glass bottle of water and use it to refill (plastic is bad for you and the environment and should be avoided).

I switched off of disposable razors and now use a more traditional one.

I use shaving soap in a cup instead of shaving cream in a can.

I now make my own beer and re-use bottles. How many teachers have you had who are also brewers? No, I do not have a still to make whisky as that would be illegal.

My wife and I now subscribe to magazines we want rather than picking them up at the news-stand (which are evil on paper waste!)

We get most of our news on the internet rather than through newspapers.

I am looking for a small travel coffee mug so I don't have to use Styrofoam or paper coffee cups.

We switched all out lights to those weird florescent ones (Our electric bill really dropped!)

I am paperless on most bills (I get them via email) and pay most bills electronically.

We try to reduce water waste whenever we can. For example, if we boil vegetables we save the water and, when it cools, use it to water plants. We have LOTS of plants. Oxygen in good, right?

We are working on a no-plastic kitchen. This will take several years, but soon I will be bringing my lunches to school in re-used glass jars. It seems a bit silly, but who watches me eat? You guys don't even know where my office is, right?

We just switched from using "antibacterial" soap for our dishes to regular dish soap. That antibacterial stuff is apparently both useless and lethal for the environment (and it works its way back into the drinking water. YUK!

That's it for now! Get started . . . .

(Ooooo. Maybe I can get one of these! Who wouldn't want a bamboo spork?)

http://www.babywit.com/fly-lunch-bag-p-organic-baby-gifts.html

At the AMNH

2008-03-27T08:27:00.003-04:00

An Inconvenient Truth?

2008-03-25T16:41:00.003-04:00

Check out what is happening in Antarctica. Will NYC be the new Venice?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080325/ap_on_sc/antarctica_collapse_4

WEEK FOUR

2008-03-25T12:11:00.006-04:00

This week we will be working with An Inconvenient Truth and our trip to the American Museum of Natural History to research a bit further on global warming. This week's blog has three parts:

1) Report-out on the infomation you found at the museum and your overall experience there.
2) Make connections between what you saw at the museum and the film An Inconvenient Truth. Which did you find more believeable, the film or the Museum. Why?
3) Make connections (or observations) between the film, the museum, our readings so far, and the theme of the cluster: Truth, Lies, and Videotape. It might help to think of the museum as type of "media."

In addition to the listed questions, you, alone, or with your group, should spend some time exploring the AMNH and considering how this museum (and museums in general) are not really nature, but media. I would like to see in your blog some commentary on how nature is transformed into media. What are the processes by which humans “denaturalize” nature and then “renaturalize” it for consumption. HINT: Use your dictionary to look up “de-,” “re-,” “naturalize,” or “nature,” and “-ize” as necessary.

Back safe!

2008-03-24T14:59:00.002-04:00

Hi All--

After a weekend conference without internet (hard to believe but true), I think I'm ready for the week. Your blog for Week 4 will be over our trip to the American Museum of Natural History on Wed. I'll post the details for the blog assignment Tuesday morning as usual, though they will not make sense until we visit the museum. See you in class!

Dr. J

BLOG THREE

2008-03-18T08:54:00.000-04:00

OK folks, for BLOG THREE you will be responding to our readings on Gnosticism and comparing the basic tenants of Gnosticism to Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" to The Matrix. I want to see more thinking and less summarizing. We have all read the material (or should have), we have all seen the film, we all know what happens (more or less). I am more interested now in seeing YOU making connections and putting you ideas into written form. If you are having trouble with the concepts in the readings (gnosticism is not easy by any stretch of the imagination) that is fine. Don't panic. Blog about what you are confused about (being actively confused is a thinking activity).

Writing and Time

2008-03-13T10:22:00.001-04:00

So, here it is almost the end of the week and I have writing tasks piling up which is very stressful. Here are the tasks I currently have and where they are (in order):

1) Article for magazines on GPS surveying in Iraq: I have 20 pages to read and need to draft the article ASAP. However, this is a paying job so I need to get on it.

2) Article for magazines on archeology in Egypt: a phone interview is set up for Friday afternoon. Otherwise, I know little about this one. Again, paid work.

3) My co-author and I need to finish the Harry Potter chapter for the book Reading Harry Potter II. It is due after Spring break. I have ordered the books we need to my shelf in the NYPL-Humanities. Academic articles do not pay.

4) The journal article Alien Ware is in a long rough draft (again with my co-author), but I need more research for it—probably at the NYPL Performing Arts branch. The due date it loose on this one. I hope this goes into Science Fiction Studies or Science Fiction Television and Film.

5) My solo book on Virtual Culture is on hold until summer, though it is in a long, ugly draft. Ugh. Maybe I can finish it this year. Maybe not. I want this one done so I can get on with either the gaming book or the SF Film one.

So, I don’t exactly feel better after making that list, but it seems a bit more manageable. Kind of.

Abbreviations

2008-03-12T07:23:00.000-04:00

It just occured to me that I use a lot of abbreviations. A habit from online teaching. Here are some of them:

EOC End of Class
Bb6 Blackboard6
PPT PowerPoint
LOL Laughs Out Loud (this one is an "emote" for you techno-peasants)
ROFLMAO (Figure this one out on your own), LOL

WEEK TWO BLOG

2008-03-12T07:21:00.001-04:00

Please read "The Allegory of the Cave" on Wikipedia. What, in your own words, is an allegory? What is the allegory all about? What connections can you make with The Matrix? And, yes, there is a lot of material on the web about this. If you use ideas from a source, be sure to tell us where it came from and post the link. Do not cut and paste off someone elses' blog or website onto your blog.

Hectic

2008-03-12T07:17:00.000-04:00

So, the last couple of days have been hectic. It takes a few weeks for students (and myself) to get used to the quick pace of the media cluster. Now that we have to start the ePortfolio sooner in the semester that gives us three complictaed tasks to master in a few days--blogging, Blackboard, and ePortfolio. For next semester I need a PowerPoint that explains what the three are for, what the differences are between them, why we are doing them at all and etc. The good thing is, of course, that my students always end up being pretty tech-savy by the end of the semester as we also learn PowerPoint and (as time allows) Movie Maker as well.

This weekend I will finish out the schedule for the rest of the semester so I can "hand it out" (that is, post to Bb6) next week.

Don't Panic!

2008-03-07T08:37:00.000-05:00

To all my blogging students: Don't Panic! You do not have to have all the class links on your blog this week. You can use my links to get to some of your classmates to read and respond to their blogs. If you are NOT on my list to the right, be sure to post your blog address in WEEK ONE in Blackboard. I will not evaluate the first week's blog until later in WEEK TWO.

Happy blogging and keep up the good work!

Now, about the LOST episode last night. What the heck was up with that? My current theory is that the island houses a singularity (essentially a collapsed black hole) which makes time bend around it and is slowly collapsing a part of the universe around itself (the island). Anyone else watch LOST?

WEEK TWO BLOG (for those who want to get an early start): Please read "The Allegory of the Cave" on Wikipedia. What, in your own words, is an allegory? What is the allegory all about? What connections can you make with The Matrix? And, yes, there is a lot of material on the web about this. If you use ideas from a source, be sure to tell us where it came from and post the link. Do not cut and paste off someone elses' blog or website onto your blog.

SPRING I 2008

2008-03-05T09:10:00.001-05:00

Welcome to my class blog! This semester the theme is Truth, Lies, and Videotape and my class will be focusing on the theme of "Living in the Matrix." We are not going to watch all the Matrix films because the Reloaded and Revolutions are just too much . . . seriously.

Those of you in my class need to complete the following: 1) set up a blog here on blogspot (start at blogger.com); 2) add a link on your blog to my blog; 3) give me your blog address with your name; 4) add links to all classmates' blogs.

Starting today, I will be posting weekly discussion questions to get you started on your blogging adventure. You must post every week (I evaluate the blogs every Monday) and respond to classmates. This week, of course, the blog is about the Matrix film. I would like you to write a review of the film (about 500 words) analyzing interesting ideas you see. Feel free to use our readings, but be sure you indicate in your blog which ideas come from the readings.

Good luck and happy blogging!

Reading

2007-11-07T13:01:00.000-05:00

Mary asked about books to read, so I will occassionally pop a couple out here. My first suggestions of "best books ever" are the following (not in any particular order):

1) Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu.
2) The Republic by Plato.
3) The Analects of Confuscious.
4) The Dhammapada.
5) The Ramayana.
6) El Cid.
7) Don Quixote by Cervantes.
8) The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis.
9) The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera.
10) House of the Spirits by Isabell Allende.

Thanks for the comments--

2007-10-30T10:18:00.001-04:00

Hi all!

Mary--The dish like this is pretty fatty. To reduce cholesterol, I would drop the egg (or at least the yolks)and add other vegetables. There is also a ground meat version that is essentially stuffed meatloaf cooked in a loaf pan. We use a lamb and beef mix which has less choloesterol. We actually used slices of Matambre for sandwiches. (The picture is off of the web, so those are not my napkins.)

I will have to try that Argie restaurant!!

Matambre!

2007-10-27T17:15:00.000-04:00

My wife and I cook a lot, so (after seeing my students favorite meals and recipes) I decided to share one--Matambre!

I just had to try this one when I saw it in a magazine after having eaten it in Mendoza, Argentina. Ah, Argentina! Where they shop for beef three times a day and consider ordering sides to a 3 pound steak (called baby-beef) “sissy.” Not exactly easy to make, matambre is still worth the trouble if you feel adventurous. Be sure you salt well enough or the matambre will taste flat.

2 2 ½ pound flank steaks, butterflied and
pounded thin. Ask the butcher and tell him what you want to do with it.
4 large carrots, peeled and quartered lengthwise
1 large green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 cup fresh or frozen peas (or spinach)
6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
freshly ground white pepper
salt

Generously seasons both sides of meat with salt, then rub into meat. Lay one steak on a baking sheet and scatter half of the garlic over the meat. Sprinkle half of the vinegar and cover with the other steak. Scatter the remaining garlic and vinegar over the meat and cover with plastic wrap. Marinate overnight in refrigerator.

Lay one steak on a clean surface with the grain running horizontally towards you. Lay the second steak, also with the grain running horizontally, in front of the first, overlapping the ends by 2”. Sprinkle with cumin, red pepper flakes, and white pepper. Lay one-third of carrot and pepper strips horizontally to go with grain of meat, beginning about 2” in from end nearest you. Sprinkle one third of the peas over vegetables. Then arrange a row of the three eggs on top of the veggies. Carefully roll meat over filling in a tight, jelly roll style. Repeat with another third of carrots, peppers, and peas, and three eggs and roll again, then lay remaining veggies and eggs and finish rolling. Pin edges of roll together with skewers, then tie with kitchen string around roll to keep ingredients packed.

Put meat in a large, heavy pot and add enough water to come halfway up the meat. Cover, and cook on low heat until meat is fork tender, about 3 hours, turning meat once halfway through. Remove from heat, uncover, place a sturdy plate on top of meat, and weigh it down with heavy unopened cans. Set aside until meat cools to room temperature. Transfer meat to a pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap, then reweigh with plate and cans. Refrigerate overnight. To serve, bring meat to room temperature, remove string and skewers, then carve into 1 inch slices.

Ooops (There it Is)

2007-10-24T13:56:00.000-04:00

So I spent ten days NOT posting and now have a VERY long list of the things that can go wrong with Blackboard. In any case, my class (hi guys) is at the American Museum of Natural History today. All, that is, except Nikki. Where were you, chica?

Here is the assignment I have them doing:

****

1: Get Tickets (contribution) and a Map. Study the map for a few minutes to get the gist of where everything is in relation to everything else. Getting your bearings is essential to effective utilization of your time. You may complete the tasks (2 and 3) in any order.

2: Visit the Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth (in the Rose Center for Earth and Space, second floor to the right of the entrance). While there, you should be looking for details, examples, and evidence that support Al Gore’s assertions in An Inconvenient Truth. Be sure to get the documentation for the evidence you find most compelling. Feel free to be creative: note-taking is fine, but you might also take photos of the information plates to post on your blog.

3: Nature as Media: As a group, pick any ONE hall that focuses on living beings such as the Spitzer Hall of Human Origins (i.e. no meteorites). Make a list of presentations/installations that you find most convincing and identify how logos, ethos, and pathos (remember how we did the slides).

4. Blog: For your blog, pick ONE media form to compare ONE Installation (one setting), one exhibit, and the museum as a whole to. For example, I might pick “Film compared to Tyrannosaurus Rex Installation / Saurischian Dinosaurs Exhibit/ The AMNH” and write about how the exhibits embody traits of film or the “cinematic sensibility.”

***

I hate brand new assignments because I never know how they are going to work and something innevitably goes wrong on-site. Perhaps I should have hauled them around as a group, but some people are inevitably late and others are early and work faster, so I like to use "do it yourself" assignments that don't require my continual imput. I'll consider a "tour" version for the Met a couple of weeks. I just dread the possiblity of saying things like "would you two hurry up for crying out loud" and "don't touch the Van Gough!" or "put the Ming vase down!"

But, I will think about it (particularly since I would then need zero paper).

More Trouble on the Cyber-frontier

2007-10-14T18:52:00.000-04:00

Of course Blackboard would be having trouble again, just as I was trying to shoot some fast responses to my students on their draft of the media mid-term. The system would not let me post at all. SO . . . I had to pull a rabbit out of my hat and decided to email everyone with all the responses. The plan was to post holistic responses to each paper in Bb so everyone could see the range of issues (grades were posted in the private grade book). The interesting thing is, this approach has made me re-evaluate how I respond to papers. Instead of “justifying grades” I have to respond directly to the issues with the particular draft—otherwise, it would be the same as posting grades publicly (which is, of course, illegal). It was very interesting to see how similar my responses were. They were identical in many cases because the problems fall within certain categories. Ooops. Another issue just came up . . . .

More later . . . .

If I Only Had a Brain

2007-10-11T13:46:00.001-04:00

For next semester I need a PowerPoint of images of magazines (and etc.) so I can show where to find the necessary MLA information. It should be easy to take photos and even little movies to demonstrate how to find the materials.

275 Pounds a Year

2007-10-08T09:04:00.001-04:00

OK, so I and two of my students kept our trash for two days (the others opted for the food-research track) and we all weighed in at about 1 ½ pounds, give or take a few ounces. Over the course of a year that is 1.5 multiplied by 183 (1.5 pounds every two days of the 365 day year) which yields about 275 pounds a year. And that did not count all the paper memos and other items I received in that two days that was ultimately doomed for the garbage or recycling. The real number is probably more like double that amount, even with me trying to go paperless in my classes. In one week alone, I have received over 30 pages of memos and handouts at meetings! Multiplied by 72 weeks and you get 2160 sheets of printed paper even if I don’t print a thing! How many trees is that?

**Part of me wants to not think about this at all anymore. Ugh. It is just depressing.**

Waste Paper Count

2007-10-03T11:53:00.000-04:00

As of today, I have used the following in all of my classes:

7 new pieces of printer paper.
25 pieces of re-used paper (printed on second side)
27 Blue Composition Books (due to a scheduling problem, I had to have my LIB 200 students write in class) Unfortuantly, the blue books also have to go in my bag o' trash as they are destined, ultimately, for the waste bin. *sigh*

My composition class is still very close to paperless. I have had them take some notes on paper and handed out the one library assignment (5 groups with on esheet each) but, otherwise, am getting to the point where we could almost go without paper altogether!

Class and Tiny News 2

2007-10-02T11:11:00.000-04:00

I had the idea for class that rather than giving a PowerPoint on argument terminology and expecting the students to take notes (as if!) that I would have them create PowerPoints explaining the basic terminology for argument/rhetoric in their own words. This had the added bonus of being both paperless and of helping them with basic PowerPoint which they need for their Media presentation in a few weeks. And, of course, they have their own Ppt and the rest of the classes (as we posted them to our class site) to study by.

So, in unrelated news, I have been using my phone for Tiny News. I was originally underwhelmed but am kind of getting the hang of it. Of course, my "subway" (the N/W and 7) is entirely above ground so I do not lose signal, but the load times are slow. However, I am slowly learning the tricks to see what I want (international, national, local, and technology) and skip the rest. I think I might be getting carpal-thumb, but I am a bit of a hypochondriac, so maybe not.

In other news, I have started keeping my 24hour bag of trash. I thought this would be really easy since I have "reduced" my impact already, but I had a LOT of junk mail and bills today (bastards!) as well as TWO amazon.com deliveries so I have a lot of paper and cardboard waste. Everything goes into the bag. I need to go totally paperless on the bills. Maybe next month, eh?

I am considering the fact that I will waste less energy overall if I replace MMORPGs with other types of games where I have to meet (gasp) real people in person. Just a thought.

And that's all for now.

Dr. J

Tinynews! Yay!

2007-09-24T16:53:00.000-04:00

So, I figured out that my Razr phone can get the internet and, ergo, internet mail and NEWS! They had a $5 a month plan or a $1 for 24 hours. I chose the $1 plan to see how it works. I am pretty sure they will screw me on this somehow, probably with the hidden 25-year commitment or something, but what the heck. So, starting tomorrow, I will be paperless on the subway. I will now be one of the locos who looks like they are playing tiny video games on their phone instead of reading something. Woop! Give me tiny-news! (At least it isn’t Fox.)

Gimme my morning paper!

2007-09-23T11:39:00.000-04:00

Things I have already been doing to reduce my personal environmental impact:

Switched from disposable razors to a reusable handle with disposable blades.
Switched from can shaving cream to old-fashioned shaving soap (Burt’s Bees) and shaving brush in a mug.
We are slowly changing out lights in the house.
We added power-bars to most electronics and *try* to remember to turn the bars off at night.
Switched from a table-top PC to Laptop (though I sprung for the really fast Alienware.)
Working on the paperless classrooms (see earlier posts).
I started using a glass bottle for water instead of plastic bottles and refill it at home and at school. This one significantly reduced our trash output.
We recycle paper for drafts and I bring used paper from work home to use for drafts here (it just goes into recycling there with only one side used).
We used the AC almost not at all this summer.
Subscribed to magazines I like rather than picking them up at the stand.

Things I am planning on:

Putting mini-blinds on all windows for winter.
Reducing over-all trash output by cooking from scratch more (we do a lot already, but when we get busy with writing and school, takeout starts looking really nice and easy).
Looking for electronic versions of magazines.

Things that I still can’t do:

Giving up the morning paper on the subway.
Composting. We live in an apartment. I know about the worms in a box thing, but . . . yuck!

Well, that’s a start anyway.

Jones-ing for Handouts

2007-09-19T11:06:00.000-04:00

What is a teacher without handouts? I actually made 7 copies to handout to groups today for their library assignment and it felt GOOD. There is something about that paper that has authority. For next time, I may make this an online quiz but I will need to be sure that the students can access it while on task in the library. PDAs would be great, but that would take a grant at least.

Random thought: I miss the card catalog in the library!

My goal for the week is still unfulfilled. I have yet to find a replacement for my morning newspaper. There should be some way to download a Metro or something to my PDA. I’ll give it another shot tonight.

Total pages used to date: 14.

Being Louis

2007-09-14T22:40:00.000-04:00

I'm back from the beach where I tried to get a tan like Louis but mainly got a red neck because I was hunched over reading the whole time. I have already imagined all possible jokes about this, so consider this mini-blog a preemptive strike. Yes, I know. Texan. Red-neck. Funny. I get it.

;)

P.S. Prof. Lucca (aka "Dr. Lou") is now online with us! Check the links to the right.

Day Three

2007-09-12T14:52:00.000-04:00

Day three without paper in the class and I estimated that this has saved approximately 20 sheets of paper per student already. That would be 1000 sheets saved already! But it is becoming increasingly difficult as I am now giving lots of verbal directions (how to create a blog) and demonstrating on the wall-projector in the computer lab how to do things such as navigate the web and etc. I seriously need to work on embedding links into my web-documents and whatever else I can do to get us through some of the more technical tasks of setting up the class such as how to use MSWord, how to make a blog, how to log in to Blackboard, all the “how to’s.” I am still not sure how to make the library scavenger hunt coming up “paperless.” I may have to go “low paper” instead by using a smaller font, one page per group and etc. It helps to pretend that paper is $1 a sheet. Sure, I’d pop for $5 but $25? Another good note, the students haven’t been printing either! They are actively avoiding it as well without my prompting.

Using the blogs to replace traditional journals really looks like it is going to work great. The students seem to be pretty into it and I like the pedagogical potential of the public nature of their compositions.

Still no computer in my office. Still no watch. I did buy a new flash drive, but I'm having a hard time trusting it not to go wonky. Oh well.

Now where'd I leave that flash drive?

2007-09-11T12:07:00.001-04:00

Day Two

It was very odd to be working without a paper syllabus the first day and I found that I was nervous about the prospect. Though I did have one hard-copy of everything, the thought of being heavily dependent on PowerPoint and Blackboard and the computers (I did not bring blue-books for backup) caused me more stress than usual for a first day, but the students were fine and class moved along fine. I also noticed two things: 1) I have a tendency not to proofread as well on screen as in hard-copy and found a few mistakes in my syllabus and assignments and, 2) I do not yet work as well off of PowerPoionts as from an in-hand assignment and have a bit of a “chaotic” feel to my presentation of material in Blackboard as I can go in any order. I’ll have to learn to use the non-linearity to advantage in the class. That, I should get better at with time.

The computer in my office is still out. My watch is still dead. My flash drive is now acting wonky as well. Ah for the days of scratching on one rock with another (though I do not miss the sound of chalk as it always sort of creeped me out.) The students are all good with MSWord and tech stuff, so I had all of them logged-in and ready to go ahead of schedule. And the best part is, they seem to be working with minimal multi-tasking, though my ears aren’t used to this lab yet and since this is an Apple lab, the mice sound different. Yes, I can usually hear “double-clicking.” I’ve been doing the lab thing for years.

Now, where did I leave that flash drive? Damn.

It's Not Easy Being Green

2007-09-10T15:02:00.001-04:00

My name is C. Jason Smith. The “C.” stands for “Christopher,” but I go by “Jason” or “Dr. Smith” depending on whether or not I check your attendance and regularly give you grades. My parents call me “Jabo.” I have no idea why. Originally from Marshall Texas, I am an Associate Professor of English at LaGuardia Community College of the City University of New York in New York City which is specifically in Long Island City, Queens for those of you who care about such things. I am also a free-lance writer.

Trying to get into the spirit of the new Common Reading for LaGuardia Community College, which is Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, I decided to try and green my classroom by having my students engage in environmental impact awareness projects and to engage myself in making my class preparation and pedagogy as low impact as possible without seriously impeding my ability to teach, or the student’s ability to actively engage with the course and learn.

This is my blog. Classes start today.

In order to significantly reduce the impact of my classes on the environment, I decided that my first task would be to attempt to go “paperless” as much as possible. I currently teach in both computer classrooms and “smart” classrooms and have taught online courses in the past, so this seemed a reasonable goal for the semester as all of my materials are already on the web in an educational program called Blackboard6. My students can, of course, print off what they need, but I’m thinking of all the syllabi I run each semester and all the assignments and all the “extra” copies I make “just in case.” Last semester I filled a whole paper box with “extra copies” and drafts of student papers. To heck with that! Today I am down to ONE copy of everything “just in case”. The rest is online and in my Bb6 site “just in case.” If worse comes to worst, I will get innovative and write on the board.

What could happen?

Well, for starters, my office computer crashed at 8:00 am just as I was reviewing my online courses and PowerPoints. However, most of the material had been uploaded to the Bb6 site already so I was, after a moment of hysteria, ready to go. I had some other technical issues with the course as well. This class is a liberal arts capstone on humanism, technology, and science, so the whole thing was pretty funny . . . or will be someday when I tell it at a bar. We made it through. Day One of class and I used a total of 6 printed pages rather than, literally, hundreds! Yay me.

Did I mention my watch stopped working this morning as well and I backed up my PDA the wrong way and whiped out most of my semester schedule. Is it possible God doesn’t want me to be low impact? Maybe I am destined to bring the End of Days one piece of paper at a time. Hmmm.