Category: Technology

Do We Really Know How to Teach Ancient Languages?

In order to make sure that future generations appreciate and understand our historical legacy, we have to ensure that we are teaching ancient languages in the most appropriate manner possible.

Here’s a thought provoking piece from the SBL site…

Society of Biblical Literature: “Even if not as ‘useful,’ and proportionally much less popular than modern languages, in absolute numbers there is still a considerable interest in learning ancient languages. The demand is answered with a plethora of popular as well as academic textbooks, programs, and courses, some of them attempting to exploit the latest information technologies.[1] This recent supply of IT based programs should not, however, mislead, us into assuming that the emergence of real new approaches in imparting ancient languages has occurred. Students’ achievements, their facility in accessing the classical texts, and their overall satisfaction have not necessarily improved.[2] Moreover, there is hardly any research to be found dedicated specifically to ancient language pedagogy.[3] In spite of this apparently thin layer of modern technology, the teaching of ancient languages is usually characterized by conservative pedagogical notions and methods in need of reexamination and much change.”

I remember initially hating Attic Greek due to the insistence of memorization and vocabulary. Hopefully, new paradigms from other disciplines will inform how ancient languages are being taught in colleges and universities so that students will continue to be intrigued by the lure of the past.

Is the Lizard Man Back?

The Lizard Man sightings first popped up in my native Pee Dee region of South Carolina around 1988 when I was 10 years old. I remember buying a “Lizard Man” t-shirt at the I-95 Speedway outside of Florence, SC and wore it almost daily with pride. Perhaps that’s when my love of all things cryptid began.

Anyway, there are new Lizard Man sightings in the Pee Dee according to WIS tv out of Columbia…

WIStv.com Columbia, SC: “Lizard Man” returns?: “Dixie Rawson of Bishopville sent WIS News 10 an e-mail about a big surprise she got at her home Thursday morning. ‘The whole front half of our van is chewed up. There are bite marks right through the front grill. Both sides of the van above the wheel wells were bitten and the metal is bent like a piece of paper.’

It reminded Dixie of the local legend of the ‘Lizard Man’ that stretches back for decades. Now some are wondering if the Lizard Man is back.”

You can read more about the Lizard Man of SC here at Wikipedia:

The Lizard Man is described as being seven feet tall, bipedal, and well built, with green scaly skin and glowing red eyes. It is said to have three toes on each foot and three fingers on each hand which end in long black claw-like nails.

Thanks to Jon for sending over!

Sharing is Caring

I use Google Reader to plow through about 500 or so RSS feeds everyday. If you’d like to subscribe to a feed where I share things that I feel are interesting or useful, feel free to bookmark or grab the feed of my Shared Items page:

Sam Harrelson’s Google Reader Shared Items

At the behest of Tris Hussey, I’m strongly considering switching to NetNewsWire full time. Here’s the shared items feed for that:

Sam’s NetNewsWire Shared Items

Best Blogger?

I was beyond honored to win the “Best Blogger” award last night at the Affiliate Summit. The Summit is a gathering of about 3,000 affiliate and online marketers and there were two very deserving guys also nominated for the award.

I’m here at the conference until tomorrow afternoon, so I’ll be posting some fun pics when I get a chance.

Another Marketing Legend | ReveNews: “I will note that our Revenews leader, Sam Harrelson, took the Best Blogger award and I applaud him on the gargantuan task of re-working almost a decade of commentary on this site into something usuable.”

Crazy!

More soon.

I miss my baby, btw. This is the longest I’ve been away from her and didn’t realize how much that would affect me.


I’ll be home soon, MH!

THE TIME GUARDIANS

http://www.timeguards.com/

THE TIME GUARDIANS

In the ages of the ancient advanced civilizations the presence of the Guardians of Time was recognized with respect, reverence and humility. Over the millennia a new mystery was formed and only a few chosen ones, like high priests, spiritual masters and shamans were granted to study it. They were the ones that got a deeper insight in the secret of THE TIME GUARDIANS. The beings were referred to as visitors from other systems, protectors or destroyers and even gods.

Growing Up Wilco

I love Wilco and can’t wait to see them again on the 29th in Charleston. In my opinion, they are the greatest American band out there right now…

Extended Play Music News by Todd Martens – The Envelope – LA Times: “Indeed, it’s astonishing to see the amount of growth and evolution the band has covered in just over a decade. It’s hard to imagine the alt-country Wilco of 1996 tackling the dancey, electronic groove of ‘Spiders (Kidsmoke),’ from Wilco’s 2004 album ‘A Ghost is Born.’ Or then dialing it all down for the easy-going soul of ‘Hate It Here,’ from Wilco’s latest, ‘Sky Blue Sky.’ Fans who have stuck with Wilco since Day One were rewarded with one of the most ardently adventurous bands around, and they showed their enthusiasm by turning songs such as ‘Airline to Heaven,’ ‘Jesus, Etc.’ and ‘Hummingbird’ into full-on crowd sing-alongs.”

It’s been an amazing trip watching the band morph and change while I do the same. I first discovered Wilco during my freshman year of college in 1996 (bought Being There b/c I liked the album cover) and have been hooked every since. It’s been a fun 12 years.

And if you need to hear some Wilco, here’s a set from last Aug 22 (my birthday, btw):

Part 1
Part 2

Thanks to Ashley for sending over.

Untitled

Examples of the Nine Unknown Men making contact with the outer world are rare. There was, however, the extraordinary case of one of the most mysterious figures in Western history: the Pope Sylvester II, known also by the name of Gerbert d’Aurillac. Born in the Auvergne in 920 (d. 1003) Gerbert was a Benedictine monk, professor at the University of Rheims, Archbishop of Ravenna and Pope by the grace of Ortho III. He is supposed to have spent some time in Spain, after which a mysterious voyage brought him to India where he is reputed to have aquired various kinds of skills which stupified his entourage. For example, he possessed in his palace a bronze head which answered YES or NO to questions put to it on politics or the general position of Christianity. According to Sylvester II this was a perfectly simple operation corresponding to a two-figure calculation, and was performed by an automaton similar to our modern binary machines. This “magic” head was destroyed when Sylvester died, and all the information it imparted carefully concealed. No doubt an authorized research worker would come across some interesting things in the Vatican Library.

THE NINE UNKNOWN MEN

A Tale of Two Parties

Yes, We Can…

vs

No, You Can’t…

We Want Change.

I still can’t believe I was fortunate enough to be in Columbia for what might become (and already is) one of the most important speeches and political moments in this new century. The line about “little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon” makes me tear up everytime I watch this given that I grew up about 20 mins from Dillon.

Thanks to Doc Searls for pointing me to the “No You Can’t” vid.