I listen to several Relay FM podcasts, which keeps me engaged in a sphere of technology personalities. They kept me up-to-date on the exodus from Twitter that this region of internet culture experienced, and their settlement into Mastodon.
Read MoreDynamic 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.
Continue reading “Dynamic Content and Curriculum”- 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.
Spring 2023 Writing Setup
It’s been a while since I wrote about my setup for various writing projects. It’s changed a bit since then, and is still not particularly robust. Consider this a report on the state of the world.
Continue reading “Spring 2023 Writing Setup”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.
- 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.
Managing eBooks
After broadly explaining the virtues of digital organization, let’s discuss the practical example of eBooks. I’ve moved from allowing a single platform (e.g. Amazon Kindle) to dictate how I organize my eBooks to making sure I own and manage the system myself. You should too.
Continue reading “Managing eBooks”Review: ChatGPT’s Satirical Ability
I asked ChatGPT to write its own Onion-style article with the same title as what I published yesterday.
Make your own judgement on how it did, and continue on if you’d like to read my thoughts.1Disclaimer: I commit the cardinal sin of explaining a joke later on in this post.
Continue reading “Review: ChatGPT’s Satirical Ability”- 1Disclaimer: I commit the cardinal sin of explaining a joke later on in this post.
Optimistic AI Just Happy To Be Here
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA—In an effort to eschew the tendency for modern AI tools such as ChatGPT to appear neutral while still housing the fundamental biases of their creators within their core, San Jose-based startup Half Full, Inc. announced on Monday the launch of an AI whose goal is optimism, plain and simple.
Continue reading “Optimistic AI Just Happy To Be Here”On Digital Organization
We create and accumulate huge quantities information these days. I don’t think that makes us fundamentally different than our ancestors in terms of organization. What separates us is that it’s now possible to have our data completely disorganized in a way that is invisible to others. This requires an increase in awareness and intentionality to reap the inherent benefits of organization.1The title of this post is brought to you by Semicertain.
Continue reading “On Digital Organization”- 1The title of this post is brought to you by Semicertain.