loaded_march | Late Metrics

But first, a conversation:

Coworker #1 (on seeing me check my phone for text messages): I don't think I have your number.

Me: I have yours, though. I'll send you a text, grab my number off of that.

Coworker #1: Awesome, thanks. Is that a new phone?

Me: No, but I'm stuck with it for a while. I am not a fan of the interface, but it was the cheapest no-frills text-enabled phone they had. Is yours a Blackberry?

Coworker #1: No, it's an Android -- no, that was my last phone. This is a Google phone thing.

Me: A Google phone thing. Is that the technical term? (looks it over) Hey, it's pretty light compared to my phone.

Coworker #1: (tests my phone) Yours feels about the same.
Coworker #1: (to Coworker #2): Hey, which one of these feels lighter to you?

Me: Wait, we don't know if he's calibrated. We have to use a calibrated weighing device to be an adequate judge of heft. Are you calibrated?

Coworker #2 (scoffing): My wife says I'm definitely not.

In other news, I forgot to mention page count yesterday, but I was unfortunately distracted. In any case, now that I have shit under control at work (but there's other stuff that came at me out of the blue) and I can report progress.

I stress that no one should get excited about the page count. There's at least three sections that I have to fix and one major global thing to sort out, and that's gonna take time to sort out/rewrite/fix/patch up/sweep under the carpet and hope no one notices.

105 / 161

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I thought Android and Google phone were pretty much the same? Like I thought the Android market became Google Play store? I miiiiiiiight be wrong though.

Teehee about your co-worker not being calibrated, though I think you can say that about of a lot of guys. ;)

A few minutes after the calibration part, Coworker #1 and I both admitted we knew shit about cell phones, so you're probably right about the Android = Google Play.

'The Google phone thing' may just be referring to the 'plain vanilla' version of the Android operating system (as issued by Google), as opposed to Android that's been altered/corporitized by Verizon or some other carrier (i.e. loaded with bloatware).

#eyes the metrics with cautious optimism#

BUAHAHAH. Calibrating humans? Wow, someone is bored at work. Either that or a major geek. I remember that for some 2/300 class at Uni they calculated how much pressure they used to polish something by the weight of an apple, or something like that. I was in the next wear where that lab was made easier. Insert sample into machine, press 'on' (after making sure the settings are right, but it amounted to pressing 'on'), wait 10 minutes. Lubricate as needed. Wash samples. Repeat.

Anyways, UAHAHAH.

It's both that I'm a major geek and I work in a lab that takes its calibration seriously. But mostly the major geek bit.

I hadn't noticed /sarcasm

I find out soon if I am in charge of Science for next year's bratlings at my school. Those kids are going to be turned into Geeks if I have anything to say about it!

Stupid elementary schools not letting you blow crap up. Kids would LOVE science if only they realize it involved FIRE!

*cough*... not that I would do that. I am a responsible adult. I would never encourage kids to do that.... adults on the other hand....

heh :)

I approve of your quest to turn the next generation of bratlings into Geeks.

A friend of mine (formerly a neuroscience, now a MBA for a pharmaceutical company) has young elementary-aged kids. She finds tons of experiments for them to do on pinterest and... hm. On other websites as well. One of them was cutting open a glowstick, pouring the contents into a jar, closing the jar, mixing it so it coats the inside of the glass, and adding sparkles inside. It was an easy way for her to teach her kids about fireflies without actually getting fireflies.

But the fire and ice aspect of science is freaking awesome. Or methos and coca-cola rockets. I like those rockets too.

My biggest problem is that I teach in Japan and every goddamn experiment has to be cleared through the Japanese science teacher (who only knows MAYBE a middle schooler's worth of science) and my boss who knows jack shit.

If they could speak decent English, it really would not be that much of an issue but I don't know enough technical Japanese to meet them in the middle just yet. So, I basically am stuck doing things that are as simplistic as possible.

Don't even know if I will be able to get away with doing interesting, kidsafe demos.

No point in pondering until I have the class though.

I will be teaching them the Scientific Method though, first thing! *nods seriously* They need to learn to love it early ^^

Also, have you seen Bluestone 42 yet?

Oh crap, yeah, that's a big stumbling block. Hard enough teaching kids when you have to struggle with adults who don't understand the difference between pseudo science and real science.

I'm sorry to hear it's so tough to do right now. I wonder if taking video of you doing the experiments to show them would help (the "when in doubt, draw pictures" theorem).

I haven't even heard about Bluestone 42. I looked it up online and *meeped* because that sounds like it's right up my alley. Alas, not available yet in Canada. Fuck.

OMG it is so damn funny. Try youtube, an ep might be there. It is 100% what I picture Excalibur being like in their spare time... if they were 1000x more crass.

While I would love to do the video route... my pred was infamous for letting youtube teach the class so I need to avoid video content like the plague. I am thinking about doing a very basic, "Let's grow plants!" experiment. Then use the recordings from that 'experiment' to augment what we are learning in class.

I was thinking, coffee, tea, and rice wash water (you wash rice over here before cooking) plus control. Then depending on what we are learning, taking different observations, samples, and the like. That is the most innocuous experiment I can think of. Plus... I have been meaning to see if there is any truth to the rice water thing... *looks over at the balcony garden*

Once I am past Y1, I will start trying to convince them to let me do real demos. For now, not rocking the boat is more important than the kids seeing science. Yes, I know that is a terrible thing to say.

I will look! Thank you!

Aw, sucks about the last person using Youtube too much. The basic "let's grow plants" experiment works. I did a lot of those as a kid (at home, though; school wasn't that entertaining).

Yea, boring experiment, I know. I am hoping to use it to teach the scientific method, reproducibility, testing method, sample sizes, measuring, and all that Jazz.

I have a few other things I can do that require no chemicals or real materials but those are for very specific lessons which are more about demonstrating a concept and less about the science.

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