Author: Mark

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Dynamic Content and Curriculum

Textbooks have been the premier mechanism for presenting curriculum for centuries. While the printed word is powerful and, for many people, superior to digital versions, the physicality of textbooks requires that their content remains static. Errors are inevitable, as are changes in relevant topics or pedagogy. New editions are the only tool to fight against the decay of a textbook’s utility.1Let’s not fight over who’s at fault for the prevalence of new textbook editions or their cost. I’m typically quite impressed by the forewords I see in many math textbooks comparing editions, and believe much of the time a new edition is worthwhile. In an educational landscape dominated by digital tools, it’s tempting to have content updated rapidly and frequently. This approach requires a deft hand.

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    Let’s not fight over who’s at fault for the prevalence of new textbook editions or their cost. I’m typically quite impressed by the forewords I see in many math textbooks comparing editions, and believe much of the time a new edition is worthwhile.
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Anthologies

I’ve been reading How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu. Unlike other apocalyptic fiction I’ve consumed over the years, this is written as an anthology of short stories giving snippets of life over the course of time without any stated connection between the characters beyond their shared experience of something rather awful going on. I’m always drawn to anthologies, whether they’re a book or TV show, because I get a wealth of “experience” in the world.

Part of my draw to them may be a simple change of pace: I like to toss in some non-fiction books among the majority fiction that I read, and filling in the gaps of powerful narrative stories with these world-building styles give me a fresh perspective on how to construct and present information in an interesting way. Even then, I’ve always admired short stories. I’ve seen comments by some writers who don’t appreciate the power of a concise story, and the care that goes into crafting them. They’re delicate and sharp, and a book made entirely of them to tell a broader story is a fascinating concept.

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MLB Rule Changes in 2023

Each time I sit down to establish my feelings about the new MLB rules going into the 2023 season, I flounder. I have a hard time separating the baseball I know and love from the inevitable future version it must become if it’s to survive and hopefully thrive. I can only imagine what the players faced with learning these new rules must feel, because some of the changes are rather drastic.

Consider this post a snapshot of my mind right now. It’s not clean or concise, and my feelings will change once I get a few games under my belt this year and see the practical ways these rules affect gameplay. But here’s where my heart and my head lie for now.

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Science Museums

Science museums are awesome, and The Exploratorium in San Francisco is particularly fantastic. We went for their Thursday After Dark series, where they stay open from 6 to 10 at night, and you must be at least 18 to get in. They serve drinks and have a different theme each week with various exhibits and presentations among the standard fare. It was a surprisingly vibrant experience!1To be fair, we happened to go when the theme was Sexploration. I have a vague feeling that other theme nights don’t have quite the same turnout, but it still indicated a healthy crowd. When we would go to similar adult nights at the Minnesota Science Museum, it felt like there were a couple dozen people at most.

There are so many opportunities for excitement at a science museum, all stemming from different areas of curiosity and experience. Going to a new museum means new demonstrations and exhibits that I’d never come across. Others are similar to what I’ve seen before, and take me back to my favorite bits of physics classes oh so many years ago now. I get to experience concepts again, sometimes in fresh ways, and marvel at the world we live in. If you have any science museum nearby, give them a visit at least once a year. You won’t regret it.

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    To be fair, we happened to go when the theme was Sexploration. I have a vague feeling that other theme nights don’t have quite the same turnout, but it still indicated a healthy crowd. When we would go to similar adult nights at the Minnesota Science Museum, it felt like there were a couple dozen people at most.
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Multi-Effects Guitar Pedal

Years ago when I got my first electric guitar, a used Squier Stratocaster in white, my guitar-playing uncle was nice enough to pass along a multi-effects pedal.1For those not in the know: effects pedals allow guitar players to change the sound in a huge number of ways. The defining sound of many guitarists is a mix of their guitar choice, the string of pedals they implement, and the settings of their chosen amplifier. A multi-effects pedal provides a digitally-processed version of a large number of these sounds—both individual effects and combinations meant to mimic famous guitarists—and gives you access to them in a single pedal with a straightforward interface. The budget version I have would almost certainly not be used by a true professional, but is perfect for being at home and noodling around. For hobbyist playing on my own, it was a fun toy that gave me new sounds and allowed me to attempt imitating the sounds in songs I was trying to play.

This memory popped back into my head the other week as I was tooling around with my much-improved Fender Telecaster I bought last year. Despite my excitement about having a guitar with a simple, clean sound, I found myself wishing again for more ways to have fun with playing. While flows like plugging into an interface and using Garageband are viable options, that requires more connections and isn’t any less expensive than where I ended up. After doing some research, I found that reputable multi-effects pedals were way less expensive than I originally imagined.

I decided to purchase the ZOOM G1X Four. It has 40 built-in effects with the ability to add more from a computer, the tools to create custom effects strung together, and niceties like some rhythm options, audio-in for playing along to tracks from my phone, a tuner, and good headphone output so I can play silently. It’s been huge fun having it available, and encourages me to keep practicing the songs I love. I’ve yet to dive fully into everything it has to offer, having mainly stuck with the built-in effects, but over time I plan to see what sounds I can get out of it.

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    For those not in the know: effects pedals allow guitar players to change the sound in a huge number of ways. The defining sound of many guitarists is a mix of their guitar choice, the string of pedals they implement, and the settings of their chosen amplifier. A multi-effects pedal provides a digitally-processed version of a large number of these sounds—both individual effects and combinations meant to mimic famous guitarists—and gives you access to them in a single pedal with a straightforward interface. The budget version I have would almost certainly not be used by a true professional, but is perfect for being at home and noodling around.