thebookishowl.com

Epic Fail Funny Videos and Funny Pictures

An excerpt of this post was previously published at TechStyle.

Although my course this semester focused on the poetry, art, and science of the Romantic period, the course was also the second in a series freshman composition classes that all students are required to take here at Georgia Tech. These courses aim not only to introduce students to specialized topics of study, but also the communication and research skills that they will need when they enter into science and technology fields. Consequently, courses like mine need to prepare students not only to write and research well, but also to communicate in various mediums, especially in digital mediums.

Because no matter what medium students are working in they need to be strong writers, I have continued to ask students to complete traditional assignments that help hone their writing skills: from practicing thesis statements, to crafting close readings, to summarizing scholarly sources. Additionally, whether they’re developing a traditional academic essay or a blog post, students need to know how to use reliable sources, and so my course aims to introduce students to how to find and best use the sources that are available through our library’s database, especially peer reviewed scholarly essays. And finally, I believe that reading and analyzing literary texts gives students a flexible framework for critical thinking in any discipline.

For me, however, the goal of asking students to develop their communication skills in digital mediums has opened up exciting new ways to get students to write and think about Romantic literature. This semester, my students worked in groups to develop interactive online exhibitions that mapped Romantic literary texts by drawing out their relationships to the scientific developments of the period. Near the beginning of the semester, I placed students in groups. I did this carefully: each student completed an application form that let me know what kinds of skills they had coming into the class as well as what kinds of skill sets they hoped to develop (were they especially confident about their writing, their research, their ability to design websites or did they want to improve on one of these in particular?). Even though students were placed in groups during the second week of the semester, the assignments they worked on throughout the first ten weeks were graded individually. These included assignments such as a close reading essay and an annotated bibliography, among others. The idea, however, was that students would choose what poems to read closely and what sources to examine for these assignments based on a shared group idea about what topic the final project would address. Doing assignments like these meant that students were still individually responsible for the bulk of their course grade and that each student not only had a stake in the final project but meaningful content that they could add to the online exhibition. Each group website, therefore,  reflects the work of all the group members. During the last five weeks of the semester, in addition to continuing to read and discuss Romantic works, we also devoted time to working on and refining the final project. We discussed strategies for refining topics, crafting careful analysis, using reliable sources, and using design elements to get our interpretations across to our audience.

When I explain my students’ final projects to other instructors, many often admit that they fear that neither they nor their students have the technical skills to make these kinds of projects work. Granted, some of my students’ projects boast a technical know-how that’s not easy to replicate. Many students at Tech are self-described “code monkeys” and have a vested interest in learning to create innovative web technologies. I am always grateful for the expertise they bring to the class. However, having students who are expert coders is not a prerequisite for introducing these kinds of assignments in the classroom. In fact, only a handful of students in my courses have these skills. This semester, I had several groups use wix.com to build their websites. Wix is free, relatively easy to use, and creates professional-looking sites, and although I have some misgivings about the fact that Wix will advertise on my students’ sites, the capabilities for presenting and publishing their research for a wide audience seem to outweigh the ideological costs (although I’m curious to see how others feel about this).

I will admit that I love assigning these projects as part of my courses. My students, most of whom are freshmen, almost always create amazing sites.  Their websites are intellectually rigorous and creative; they feature student-authored, research-based analysis of literary works. These websites also allow students to draw on sources, including literary works, visual materials, and expert scholarship, that are newly available online. Additionally, hyperlinked mediums mean that students can make new connections between texts, disciplines, and historical periods. In undertaking these websites, many students realize that there is much yet to discover about the Romantics and that there is also a contemporary audience eager to read and think more about literature, be that audience one of academics who are browsing the web looking for more information or enthusiasts who are pursuing their favorite writer, artist, or topic. These assignments get students excited about their analyses as they realize that not only are there opportunities for them to discover new meanings, research, and even new literary works and previously undiscovered allusions, but also a wide range of venues and mediums that they can use to create and share their findings. At the end of the semester, each class always asks to see the projects the other classes completed, and I can tell by looking at my web statistics that many go home for the holidays and share their websites with their families.

In many cases, the students actually carve out unique research niches with these websites. For example, one project this semester on Humphry Davy’s poetry and his experiments on Nitrous Oxide seems to be the most comprehensive and reliable website on that topic of its kind. Likewise, another group decided to create a digital book about representations of sex in scientific discourses, complete with an index. Another project collected poems about astronomy from the period that might be useful for further study, and yet another collated data from literature as well as history and created charts that try to make sense of the material effects of Romantic science. All of the projects can be accessed here.

I’m eager to hear about the experiences others have had with assigning projects in their courses on the Romantics. Have others tried to have their students build websites? What are the pros and cons of such assignments? What are the specific challenges and benefits of such projects? What are some other creative strategies for assessment you’ve tried?

Teaching Romanticism: An RC Pedagogies Blog

So after the class that John Z was all like “Time is like a pendulum,” which I thought was a really cool idea, I started thinking that hey if that holds truth than our lives are predetermined and we do have a set destiny. For if time is like a pendulum, then after it comes back and starts going forward again the same exact set of events will happen all over again. In fact, this could be our millionth time living this life. I could have written this exact same thing at this exact same time a million times before. And for who ever is reading this (I’m sorry) you’ve done so a million times. It is my destiny to write this for the rest of forever. I continued to think about this when I suddenly had an “oh for Christ sakes” moment and realized that this was a Futurama episode where Fry gets caught up in one of the professors crazy experiments and goes through time in a time traveling vehicle (great episode).
My next really short topic, (short because my brain has been fried by finals week and all I can manage to work up in my imagination is Chemistry equations) Will be about god. I think it’s wrong to consider that we can do anything wrong. If we are the creation of god, the all mighty, all knowing, can’t do anything wrong created us in his image god then it would be insulting to think that we would have flaws. There is no such thing as playing god. For example when Victor Frankenstein created his creature thing it was not an act of playing god, it was an act of god himself.

This Concludes my Philosophy in fantasy Lit and the rest of my mental power.

Glitter: The Unity College Fantasy Literature & Philosophy Blog

LINER NOTES 

Call it Art Pop or Neo Pop, Power Pop or Neo Pulp. A handful of writers in America are trailblazing a new direction for the literary scene. Imagine! Exciting new writing. Not standard popular fiction, and not standard “literary,” but something better, something more. Old fashioned raw and gritty zeen writing with a brass section and an added beat. In the final chapters of my novella which doesn’t have a title but which I describe as the Big Boy Saga, I intend to take fiction into a new place. This will be on the remaining cuts on my pop album. (Ten chapters altogether.) Have a view. Take a listen.

www.americanpoplit.blogspot.com

Chapter Six: “The Trap”

Chapter Seven: “The Armory”

AttackingtheDemi-Puppets

Submitted by:

FrankieDudeUltimate

Epic Fail Funny Videos and Funny Pictures

Price: 7.99

Current Bids: 0

Please note: Due to the holidays, I try to ship the same day that payment is received (by 3 pm) or at the latest, the next business day to make sure your package(s) arrive quickly and in time for the holidays. * Priority mail is available. * Gift wrapping is also available! GIVE THE GIFT OF READING THIS HOLIDAY!! J CHECK OUT MY OTHER AUCTIONS! We’ll be adding new stuff just about every day! Book lots, video games, collectibles, fairy related items, etc. Christmas will be here before you know it and I just might have the gift you’re looking for!!!! There’ll be alot of books and book lots on ebay for paranormal romance, fantasy, shape shifters, vampires, demons, sci-fi, time travel, horror, erotica romance, Ellora’s Cave, suspense and much more from authors such as: Lara Adrian /, Kelley Armstrong / Jim Butcher / Keri Arthur / Amanda Ashley / Clive Barker / Anya Bast / Patricia Briggs / Jim Butcher / Christine Feehan / Jeaniene Frost / Laurell K. Hamilton / Kim Harrison / Charlaine Harris / Richard Laymon / Nora Roberts / Gina Showalter / Nalini Singh / J. R. Ward / Robert B. Parker / James Patterson / Lee Child and I could go on and on………. If you are new to paranormal reading, please feel free to contact me and I would be more than happy to give you some reading recommendations. This auction is for Lee Child ‘ Nothing to Lose ‘ ARC (advanced reading copy ) with uncorrected page proofs and cover price. 416 pages in Very Good condition with stamp. Note: The white spots on the letters of the title of the book are just glare spots! I couldn’t get a good clean picture! *See my other Lee Child lots and HC/DJ lot. Please read: All books are used with your typical used book shelf wear and reading wear such as faint spine creases and cover edge wear. I’m trying to speed list and when you’re listing a lot of books, it can be very time consuming and I type really slow! So please review the enlarged picture and if you need further details, I’d be more than happy to call you with specifics to each book’s description. I do try to understate the condition of my books and book lots to be on the conservative side and make every effort (and take alot of time) to clean all books and to remove any stickers and any dreaded sticker residue etc if possible! Please review my feedback. All books are shipped from a smoke-free home. Email me for any questions and also leave a phone # if you’d prefer a call. Payment Information We currently only accept PayPal for any payments taken. Merchandise credit only for returns PayPal Visa & Mastercard (through PayPal) American Express (through PayPal) Discover Card (through PayPal) Payment for all items must be made within 7 days. I do combine shipping for purchases (within 3 days of the first purchase auction’s end) except in the case of very large book lots. I need to be able to lift the box! Shipping: USA only (.49 shipping by media mail) Thanks for looking! ☺

doublefeaturesciencefiction.com

Last year I prepared a long post about expected 2010 novels, originally split into three and then later collated and updated. This year I discussed some anticipated books in six posts so far (I HERE, II HERE, III HERE, IV HERE, V HERE, VI HERE). I have read the following five all off which would have been candidates for the list in this post. Reviews will come in due course, starting soon with the two early January novels by Carol Berg and by KJ Parker, while a dual review with Robert for The Fallen Blade is scheduled for mid-January.

1.The Hammer by KJ Parker (A++ and starting as #1 2011 novel)
2.The Book of Transformations by Mark Newton (A++ and starting as #2-3 2011 novel)
3.The Soul Mirror by Carol Berg (A++ and starting as #2-3 2011 novel)
4.The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie (A++)
5.The Fallen Blade by Jon Courtenay Grimwood (B)

The first three are just awesome novels guaranteed a spot in my best of 2011, the Abercrombie is excellent too but as military fantasy – subgenre I like less than others – it has a ceiling in my preferences, so while it may make my Top 25 of 2011, it will depend on how much I like other books – a battle is still a battle, so to speak – while The Fallen Blade was a minor disappointment for surprising reasons (no, not for vampires, but for narrative walls and contrived plotting), though I am still in the series and hope future installments will be better.

I decided to do only a Top 5 Expected SFF Novels for now, though I will start soon a continually updated post with 2011 novels read. I thought a lot about what to include here and I had to make some hard choices, but overall I would say that right now these are the novels I would take over anything else known to come out in 2011 and of course excepting the ones above already read. They also tend to reflect well my preferences – “different” epic, strange sff, sense-of-wonder sf and finally “new school epic” fantasy.

**********************************************

1. The Sea Watch by Adrian Tchaikovsky

The Shadows of the Apt is my ongoing #1 fantasy series and it almost got at the level of my top 2 ongoing series in terms of expectations. (As anyone who follows my posts knows, those are Honor Harrington and Safehold by D. Weber, sadly none having a story advancing book in 2011 – HH has an anthology and a YA back-story novel, and while I read one and will read the other, neither are that important for me).

For more about why and all, check my review of The Scarab Path (beware of spoilers though) and go from there.

**********************************************

2. The Last Four Things by Paul Hoffman

After 4 reads of the book and perusing quite a few reviews that trash it, I still believe that The Left Hand of God is a very entertaining novel with a lot of narrative energy, but one that is such a mix of stuff that resists any classification beyond being sff. I am still undecided if it’s more sf-nal than fantasy-nal, or if it’s just a big (bad) joke played on the readers as some reviewers more or less argue. I still love it though I chickened out of putting it in my top 25 2010 novels so I am giving it a “huge personal favorite” label for now.

The Last Four Things should give me a better understanding and if I find it as refreshing as TLoG, that one may give even The Hammer a run for the #1 spot in 2011 in sff. Will see, but the above make this one my #2 expected sff novel of 2011.

And if you wonder, these expectations are double-edged since for example The Horns of Ruin was my top expected book of the last half of 2010, only to badly disappoint me, so much so that even the author’s Dead of Veridon – follow-up to a top novel of mine in 2009 – moved lower on my expected 2011 list.

**********************************************

3. Embassytown by China Mieville

I was so-so on City/City and I am still stuck at page 200 in Kraken but in both cases that’s because I find hard to suspend disbelief in a modern world with magic. For a book that’s in the same narrative space as City/City and that truly blew me away and became my top novel read in 2010, check the 1951 Goncourt prize winner The Opposing Shore by Julien Gracq which has none of the credibility issues I had with the Mieville novel.

In Embassytown it seems we will be in pure speculative fiction world-building so I expect no issues with that and the novel is another contender for #1 in 2011.

**********************************************(not a cover obviously!)

4. The Clockwork Rocket by Greg Egan

Nobody writes better mind-blowing sf than Greg Egan and while I had occasional issues with the literary aspects of his work, The Clockwork Rocket is another potential #1 2011 novel and the only other “core-sf” must for me.

While there is a chance the book will be published in 2012, the author has a great introduction to its universe HERE and I strongly believe that with Alastair Reynolds turning to mundane sf (I dislike that but will see how the master of hard sf handles it), The Clockwork Rocket is the one “universe as sense of wonder” novel we will hopefully have in 2011.

**********************************************

5. The River of Shadows by Robert Redick

The Chartrand Series is a big time favorite, but the almost 18 months lag between The Rats (still not present in the USA) and the Ruling Sea and this one, makes The River of Shadows lack somewhat the immediacy of say the Kinden novels. I am also curious to see if the magic of the first two books is still there for me since recently there were a bunch of series that faded for me or at best still remained on my “series reading” list but with less urgency.

With the new Brent Weeks expected for 2012 – that one will have otherwise been here in the “epic” spot – the Chartrand is the one more-or-less traditional fantasy series I want first, just beating the Rothfuss, Lynch, Bakker, Morgan or for that matter Martin if 2011 offerings.

Fantasy Book Critic

Just in case you wanted to watch it over and over and over again…

Have a great break everyone!!!

Glitter: The Unity College Fantasy Literature & Philosophy Blog

So since this is my last blog I really don’t know what to write. However, I was laying in bed listening to DBSK (bottom left) and JYJ (bottom right photo) who are Korean boy bands… (yes boy bands) and I was suddenly struck with a desire to actually write a poem or song or something so I did. They are a major inspiration to me in multiple aspects. They show me what real devotion is to do something that you love and stick with it no matter what gets thrown at you (JYJ used to be part of DBSK but due to record company complications they are now separate). Their music is the purist I have every listened to and I have never seen a band perform so emotionally and passionately on stage as they do (even out right crying at times) and they care for their fans as much as we care for them. This ode to JYJ and DBSK is random and my first ever attempt at writing poetically… so enjoy!

Touch the center of the sky
reach with all your might
hold it close, keep it tight

I have found my center within you
You will always be held close and kept tight
right next to me
You will never be afraid again never be cold again
you will always be worm I will always stay by your side

Touch the center of the sky
reach with all your might hold it close,
keep it tight touch the center of the sky
your love is as wide and pure as the ocean is blue
you are my center you are my shining star

breathing in everything that is you
taking in everything that is beautiful
I fell like I’m at the center of the sky when I’m with you
never give up never give in

until you Touch the center of the sky

Glitter: The Unity College Fantasy Literature & Philosophy Blog

Price: 3.49

Current Bids: 1

Please check out my other books – 2nd book ships free! Each additional book ships for $.25 each! Death’s Excellent Vacation (2010) – 13 short stories by Charlaine Harris, Sarah Smith, Jeaniene Frost, Daniel Stashower, A. Lee Martinez, Jeff Abbott, L A Banks, Katie MacAlister, Christopher Golden, Lilith Saintcrow, Chris Grabenstein, Sharan Newman & Toni L P Kelner – Hardcover book with dust jacket in good condition – There are a few dents & dings in the dust jacket. Item will normally be mailed out the day after cleared payment. I ship Monday thru Friday. I always use First-Class Mail instead of Media Mail for 1 book. First-Class mail is considerably faster and a bit more expensive than Media Mail. If 2 or more book are purchased, I will usually need to use Media Mail. First-Class Mail packages have to weigh 13 ounces or less. 2 books usually weigh more than 13 ounces. Media Mail is the cheapest shipping option, but it also takes the longest. Estimated delivery is between 2 and 9 business days depending on your location. If you would like your items sooner, I will be happy to ship using Priority Mail, but it is more costly. Payment is expected within 7 days of auction end. Please let me know if this is a problem for you. I am extremely easy to work with and I understand that things come up. I am happy to work with you as long as I know what is going on. My books do come from a smoke-free home; however I buy most of my books on e-bay so I can not guarantee that they have not been exposed to smoke previously. I do try to avoid listings that specifically mention a smoker’s home but not everyone will disclose this. I also have one white cat but she does not mess with my books! 100% customer satisfaction is my goal. If you are not happy, then I am not happy. If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, please give me a chance to fix the problem before leaving neutral or negative feedback. I will do whatever I can to fix the problem. Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed! Positive feedback is very much appreciated. I return positive feedback 100% of the time. I know that your feedback is as important to you as mine is to me. Thanks so much for visiting my auction today. Your questions are welcome!

doublefeaturesciencefiction.com