Fractal Wave

If Hokusai's wave was closer to breaking, it might look like this fractal.

Hokusai's Big Wave

This is one of my latest desktop pics. I never get tired of looking at it, there's something really satisfying about all the curved lines. It reminds me of some fractal patterms that resemble waves.

Changing the Paradigm: Hypertext and Learning

In library school we read Elizabeth Eisenstein's The Printing Revolution in Early Modern Europe. She studied the tremendous impact that moveable type printing had on Western culture, starting with making that great flowering of knowledge we call the Renaissance possible. Printing even changed our way of thinking, by enabling language to become more standardized and logical. Computers have had a similar impact on our collective mind. I think it could be argued that Hypertext links have made our thinking more layered and connected. Linear and Two-dimensional models just can't contain all our thinking anymore! Anyway, here's an interesting article by Ann M. Woodlief on the implications of computer-style thinking for education:
Changing the Paradigm: Hypertext and Learning.

Beautiful Georgia 

Awful Plastic Surgery

If you enjoy looking at Western culture from a sociological point of view, check out Awful Plastic Surgery. The blogmaster posts to it regularly, so you can keep up with the most recent size of Britney's boobs. It can be a little unpleasant to see what human beings do to themselves--especially when you consider that much of the damage is pretty much irreparable. America's obsession with appearances is making plastic surgeons rich these days. Ever since I started looking at this site, and catching a few episodes of Nip/Tuck, I look a lot more closely at actors. Recently I saw Claire Bloom on a Law & Order rerun. She was almost unrecognizable. Her surgery actually looked pretty good, but the overall effect is still unnatural. Whatever happened to the notion of growing old gracefully? I saw an exhibition of Alfred Stieglitz's nude photos of Georgia O'Keefe at the Cleveland Museum of Art a few years ago. I think our definition of physical beauty is getting too narrow. Or fake. Or something.

Rachel at Rob & Lygie's wedding

My daughter Rachel at Rob & Lygie's wedding, in Minneapolis, April 2004. I still can't believe my nephew and neice pulled off an outdoor Spring wedding in the middle of the continent. The morning after this beautiful sunny day, we had rainy & windy 40-degree weather!

NCATE: National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education

This week the Education Department at Marietta College is being visited by an evaluation team from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, with the hope of becoming an accredited program. It would be great to get their stamp of approval. Looking at the list of accredited institutions in Ohio, it would seem like MC has a good chance.

The NCATE team members are meeting with faculty and students, and observing lots of classes. They even met with my boss, who runs the Title III technology grant (which paid for the equipment in the education lab). I attended a student meeting yesterday, feeling I had to put in a good word for our outstanding faculty members in the English and Education departments, as well as represent us older, non-traditional students. I was glad to see my fellow secondary language arts student, Kelly, because she is articulate and knowledgeable and observant. Two seniors from the elementary program were there, and they also made some good points. But there were no students from the middle school program, which was a little distressing. We have some very bright and motivated students in all of our programs; they are probably too busy to attend a meeting! Hopefully the team will get a better picture of students from their classroom observations.

American Splendor

DirecTV gave us premium channels this weekend, so I got to watch a film I've wanted to see: American Splendor. It's an innovative blend of documentary and dramatization of the life of Harvey Pekar, author of the intensely autobiographical American Splendor comic book series. I was surprised to learn that R. Crumb actually drew the original A.S. comics, while Pekar wrote the story frames. Actor Paul Giamatti was just amazing as Pekar. Since his portrayal is cross-cut with footage of the real Pekar throughout the movie, the audience can see for themselves what an incredible acting job this was. The cinematography was wonderful, beautiful shots that really enhance the story. Since the plot interweaves "reality" and dramatization using comic book techniques like framed sequences and thought balloons, the editing must have been a big challenge--but the story moves along seamlessly. When a chemo-sick Pekar asks his wife, Am I a real person or a character in a story? (will my character live on after I die?) you know the filmmakers are really blurring the line between life and art. This is a wonderful film about a decidedly different comic book hero, a wonderful companion piece to Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable.