Happy New Year of Ox

A good question and a good honest answer

A mom wrote:

T-5's class was reading a book about chickens and T-5 asked which hole the egg comes out.

"The butt hole or the tummy hole?"

The teacher said she wasn't sure so T-5 told her, "That's okay, I'll look it up on my computer when I get home."

What I like about this story is that the Mom really helped her kid to find the answer and shared with us. Now, I know the answer. Do you?

Computer mouse

A mouse which controls your cursor on screen inside a mouse from pet shop...

End of closed book examination

from The Australian

The multi-million-dollar project was launched in London yesterday by three of the world's leading technology companies -- Cisco, Intel and Microsoft. They said the aim was to resolve the gap between what was taught in schools and the skills required in the workplace.

The project aims to develop a computer-based assessment system that could be adopted around the world and would test students' knowledge in cross-disciplinary problems, spelling the end of closed-book exams testing students' memory.

Stanford University lectures on Darwin and his legacy

via Atheist Nexus

These lectures, given by distinguished and notable experts in their respective fields, have now been uploaded to youtube, including the discussion panels that follow each lecture and the highly informative Q&A sessions.

Here they are
Lecture 1: "Darwin's Own Evolution" with Robert Siegel and "Darwin's Data" with William Durham


Lecture 2: "Evolution vs. Creationism" with Eugenie Scott.


Lecture 3: "A biography on Charles Darwin" with Janet Browne


Lecture 4: "The philosophical importance of Darwin's theory of evolution." with Dan Dennett


Lecture 5: "How and why species multiply" with Peter and Rosemary Grant.


Lecture 6: "Darwin's life and work" with Niles Eldredge


Lecture 7: "The history and consequences of social Darwinism" with Melissa Brown



Lecture 8: "Darwin's legacy in medicine and infectious disease" with Paul Ewald.



Lecture 9: "Evolution, Brain and Behaviour" with Russell Fernald


Lecture 10: "Learning to see Darwinian ways of meaning" with George Levine


[cross posted to Atheist Bible Reading and Forum]

One Laptop per Child program is downsizing

Cut staff by 50% and remaining will have a salary reduction.

Our technology initiatives will focus on:

1. Development of Generation 2.0
2. A no-cost connectivity program
3. A million digital books
4. Passing on the development of the Sugar Operating System to the community.