| Amazing and important things for you to know (click refresh/reload): April 25, 2012: Here is the review for the final exam! April 10, 2012: Here is a mind-boggling crow stunt. And another. And regarding our discussion of what is "natural," see this list of the the world's "gayest animals." April 2, 2012: The British government is considering a plan to expand dramatically its ability to surveil all citizens. March 30, 2012: One the one hand, mechanical watches are part of a rational, efficient world. On the other hand, compared to cheap (and more accurate) quartz watches, mechanical watches are irrational, beautiful poetry cut from gears. Check out this 10 minute documentary about Swiss watch makers today. March 27, 2012: Here's some info. about the claims regarding a new NSA "spy hub" that came up in class today. Oooooh now they're watching this webpage!! March 27, 2012: N.b. I've reassigned the Saito article for next week! We'll try to get to it properly this time. March 26, 2012: Here's a website from the British National Maritime Museum about John Harrison and the quest for longitude. Here's a story about a more recent prize winner who declined the $1,000,000 award. And check out the prizes at the X Prize Foundation, like for instance $30,000,000 for the first privately funded team to send a robot to the moon. March 21, 2012: You don't need any fancy technology to dance, unless it's this dance. March 20, 2012: Here is your next little assignment, worth five points, and due at the beginning of class Thursday, March 22nd. Click the "skeuomorphs" link on the left side of this page and read that page. Then write down two or three examples that are NOT listed on that page, or on the wikipedia article about skeuomorphs, or on any other list you find online. Come up with two or three of your OWN examples. If everyone has the same couple of examples, I'll notice, and it will be obvious that you all plagiarized the second or third Google hit, and you will get an F for the class. Enjoy! March 18, 2012: We've talked a bit about enyclopedias this semester. This will be the last year for the print edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. March 7, 2012: Well, here's a robot that can run 18 mph. March 3, 2012: Rationalization in India: a program to provide official identification to hundreds of millions who have never had any. March 1, 2012: The questions that are fair game for the midterm exam are here. If you want to hear any discussion or guidance about them, you should come to class today. February 29, 2012: Regarding our discussion of online privacy, listen to these timely NPR stories on news ways of thinking about online privacy and the strategy of just giving up altogether. February 27, 2012: Here's a news item about the episode we discussed in class last week in which some North Sentinalese using stone age technology attacked two Indian fisherman. February 25, 2012: A while back we discussed Diderot and D'Alermbert's Encyclopedie. Here's an English translation online. |
spring 2012 |