Category: Weekly Review (Page 6 of 6)

Shoe buying

So, let’s say, hypothetically, that you are buying shoes. Someone says “What size are those?” Then proceeds to say, “I ordered and paid for those.”

Now, understand that you’ve been shopping for a bit. You’ve tried on a few pairs. These shoes were just in the bin. You’ve spent quite a few minutes trying on shoes. The other person has likewise been there for a while. Not a word.

Where does the outrage over “I deserve this over you” foster and grow? These were not special shoes for a special occasion. Rather, these were pretty generic shoes.

Now, we could’ve said, “Go ahead, take these”. But we didn’t. Quite frankly, I didn’t see any reason to. The other person wasn’t polite about this. There wasn’t a friendly discussion. Just the accusation that somehow we were taking something ¹ that she felt the right to.

Hamilton – Round 2

I ushered for Hamilton a second time. Not only was it just as enjoyable as the first time, but even better. The second time (my third time seeing the play), I picked up additional nuances. If you haven’t seen the play and have a chance to see it, go.

Pens

I have a couple of fountain pens. I enjoy them tremendously. I really like using the proper tools. A fountain pen just feels different. Writing becomes more a joy.

I took a few minutes to clean out my pens. Sadly, I didn’t re-ink them all. (I really use them on a limited basis. No need to have a ton of pens inked.) I generally keep three pens inked and ready to go. I carry these three pens in a wonderful pouch that one of my daughters made for me.

Sometimes it is simple things that bring joy.

Badge

I earned a badge. I have been participating in the MoodleNet project. I have come to understand how important and powerful badges can be.

Read Seed

I’ve had the opportunity to work with Justin Hunt on Read Seed. Actually, one of my co-workers has done most of the work. It fun to be a part of a great project. Read Seed will allow teachers to markup the reading of students.

Here’s roughly how it works. A student reads a passage in Moodle (we integrate with Moodle, but it can work outside of Moodle as well). The teacher gets to identify the passage. The student works independently reading the passage. Read Seed will then grade the passage using Artificial Intelligence (AI). The teacher get the recording of the student and the grading of the AI. Then, the teacher can also mark up the types of mistakes that the student is making. This is great and powerful stuff.

Read Seed is currently available for free for 365 days. You read that right – 365 days free. Check it out.

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¹ Turns out, these were not the shoes that said person thought that she had ordered. Still, no need to be rude.

Opening Day

The Toledo Mudhens opened up the season. We had to dress more like a football game than a baseball game, but there is a certain excitement to opening day. It’s always important to dress in layers and keep your toes warm. Misson accomplished on that.

We made the better part of a day. HomeSlice pizza for dinner. A short walk over to the “Welcoming Tent” (for a free brew).

The game itself was a winning effort by the Mudhens. All in all, a very enjoyable, albeit cold, start to baseball season.

Hotel Mumbai

We went to see Hotel Mumbai. This is a powerful movie. This is based on the real life 2008 attack on the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai. The hotel was part of a coordinated attack throughout India. The attack was carried out by teenagers who were trained to kill and die.

Lights

Ah, the joys of home ownership. A set of lights that I had installed decided to give up the ghost. A quick trip to the attic, replacing the canisters and re-wiring did the trick. Now, all of the lights once again light.

Weekend Off

Well, due to a not so nice stomach issue, I pretty much didn’t do much all weekend. It is amazing how quickly a physical illness and dampen your mental focus and mood.

Italian Film Festival

We went to the opening night of the Italian Film Festival USA this week. I absolutely enjoyed the premier film (Benedetta Follia-Blessed Madness). I found the movie to have a nice mix of comedy – not too low brow nor too high brow. There was a message of living life, but not overdone. The cinematography was very well done. Yes, there were some plot holes, but I didn’t mind the twist at the end.

Home Repair

I’ll be replacing a couple of lights fixtures in the house. A couple (yes, two) of the ceiling fixtures are no longer working. Into the attic and replacing I go.

Magazines

Apple made the news for debuting Apple News+. This is a service that focuses on magazines. My library offers access to RBDigital. This gives me access to many magazine through the library. Since it is through my local library, it comes with the nice price of free.