2007-03-01

jason: jason (Default)
2007-03-01 07:29 am
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Who Needs a Satellite Dish When You Have a Wok?

New Zealand Herald: “Why pay $20,000 for a commercial link to run your television station when a $10 kitchen wok from the Warehouse is just as effective?This is exactly how North Otago’s newest television station 45 South is transmitting its signal from its studio to the top of Cape Wanbrow, in a bid to keep costs down.” [via Slashdot | Who Needs a Satellite DIsh When You Have a Wok?]

jason: jason (Default)
2007-03-01 07:45 am
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The benefits of inheriting despair

Mind Hacks: The benefits of inheriting despair: “‘why do we still have mental illness if inheriting the risk for it makes you much less likely to reproduce?’. Surely it should have been ‘bred out’ of the population?

[Some] suggest that the same inherited attributes that increase risk for mental illness can be beneficial when they don’t result in serious impairment.

For example, research has suggested that people who are at high risk for schizophrenia, or have slight or fleeting psychosis-like thoughts, are more likely to be creative or original thinkers….”

That’s a very interesting perspective. Too much of a good thing, is a bad thing?

jason: jason (Default)
2007-03-01 09:31 am
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Civil Society, Fanaticism, and Digital Reality

I met with Vera Nincic yesterday for lunch at Mangiacake. She’s editing my dissertation for publication, and had lots and lots of amazing suggestions on how to get it ready… unlike Jeremy who I think said that I should burn it, or just run. Anyway, she’s getting me lots of references that I wish I had had when I wrote it in the first place. One thing she suggested was Geert Lovink’s interview: Civil Society, Fanaticism, and Digital Reality: A Conversation with Slavoj
Zizek
from 1996, which I’m about to read.

jason: jason (Default)
2007-03-01 09:40 am

My Life As a Child

We’re studying children as photographers in (c)cld419, and one of my students pointed me to this show that takes up many of the issues we’re interested in; seeing the world from the child’s perspective.

My Life As a Child Premieres February 26 at 7/6c

My Life As a Child documents the lives of 20 American children, between the ages of 7 and 11. Each episode inter-cuts the stories of three to four children from different backgrounds, providing a complete snapshot of American life through their eyes. 

These incredibly talented children were given digital cameras and the opportunity to film their own lives over the course of several months. They filmed themselves at home, in school and on vacation so that viewers could see every aspect of their lives. Most importantly, the children commented and narrated on their experiences through weekly video diaries, in which they talked to the camera about their thoughts and feelings.

My Life As a Child tackles difficult issues such as absent parents, divorce, racism and religious beliefs. In the show, the children offer their thoughts on the complexities of life, pondering such questions as the meaning of success and the role of gender. They also remind viewers of what it means to be a child, by sharing their favorite games, displaying their imaginations and discussing their dreams for the future.

jason: jason (Default)
2007-03-01 11:00 am
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Wellman and BIGIDEAS

Barry emailed to say that BIGIDEAS is broadcasting his SD Clark lecture March 10th at 4:00 pm.

jason: jason (Default)
2007-03-01 03:57 pm
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RYERSON MA PROGRAM IN EARLY CHILDHOOD STUDIES

Ryerson University still accepting applications for the MA program in Early Childhood Studies starting September 2007. The Ryerson MA Program in Early Childhood Studies (MECS) is unique among graduate programs in North America with a focus on integrating diversity into early childhood education. Full- (12 months) and part-time (24 months) programs are available with a course-based option and a Major Research Paper option (MRP). In the course-based option, students complete 10 courses while students in the MRP route complete 7 courses and write a Major Research Paper. Scholarships available to incoming full-time students; cost of tuition would be minimal. Applications will continue to be accepted until the program is full. For more information: - visit www.ryerson.ca/~bernhard/masters.html or contact Dr. Judith Bernhard, Program Director, at bernhard@ryerson.ca .