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Ghost B.C. Infestissumam Album and Concert Review

The house lights dropped, and Gregorian chants lulled the crowd- for a moment. Somber latinate tones accompanied the appearance of five hooded and robed figures, which filed to their instruments. Then, chanting explodes into soaring riffs with thumping, head-bangable bass. The five “Nameless Ghosts” (as they are known online) rocked out Infestissumam, the eponymous introductory song of Ghost B.C.’s second album. Their second number required the frontman, Papa Emeritus II, to grace the audience with his presence, and he was given a screaming welcome. Wearing skull face paint and a profoundly blasphemous mitre, Papa led Ghost B.C. and their congregation through highlights of both their albums. Their paced slowed once to bid Denver good evening, and only once more to give the audience an opportunity to scream adoration. Their show at the Ogden on April 18th demonstrated the supreme talent and showmanship of these anonymous musicians.

Traditional vs. Online Schooling

     "Traditional" schooling is the professor-classroom relationship. Online classes require students to interact with more media to learn, selected by the professor. My view is that both formats are incomplete. A truly modern approach to teaching seamlessly integrates online and traditional formats. Students need to be able to access the information in as many ways as possible, and will need both lectures and independent study time.
     Undergraduate education is becoming more standardized, and this means more pedagogical media is available. For example, during my calculus courses, I found myself using the assigned textbook, Khan Academy, and three other books. My dad's text was useful for comparing definitions, and a popular math book provided a conceptual view of calculus and its history. Finally, I used a textbook written in 1910 that now exists on the public domain called Calculus Made Easy. This plethora of sources allowed me to really dig into the subject, and see it as something useful, and as a beautiful idea in a long history of ideas. I couldn't have found them without the internet.
     Parts of the traditional method could be abandoned. Professors can be the ones who identify when they are not being effective, and give students opportunities to pursue knowledge in a different way. The success of sites like Khan Academy show that students need a different format, and excel when that need is met. At the same time, those sites lack a holistic view, and cannot help students integrate their knowledge. The professor is there to ensure integration happens.
     Above all else, this should foster in students the desire to learn and self-assess, because the most important skill to learn as an undergraduate is how to teach oneself. An effective synthesis of methods would simply shift the emphasis from the professor-classroom relationship to the professor-student relationship.

Friends

Friendship is a worthwhile thing; it is the nurturing we can offer other people, without being expected to give anything more.

Friendship is a parallel-processing event; the mutual acknowledgement of some thing, and its subsequent development.

Friendship is a resource-distribution  mechanism; sometimes our friends are the only ones who can see and provide what we need.

Friendship is an eternal hunting party; forever creeping up the next hill, looking for the game that will secure the tribe through winter.



But, we can only have so many friends.

Space Checkers pt II: Singularity Chess

     To us, winning is not victory in the game, but finding the most novel way to end it. Both of us have highly developed but effectively suppressed competitive instincts.The game becomes a memetic Rochambeau; in my second turn I capture his bishop with my own from across the board, but he responds by taking my bishop with a knight that that had been his first move.
     Quickly, the board to my left gets pretty empty.

Robots and Swords

Calculus is one of those things. It just is. And, everyone has to learn it their own way. While I was in calculus II, a friend told me to start thinking of those operations like robots; I just had to learn how to tell the robots to do their work. And, that worked! I learned the basics and got through II & III.

But now, I'm in ordinary differential equations. This is like having a magic sword that ALWAYS cuts SOMETHING, then finding myself in a pitch black room with another fellow wielding a similar sword. Good luck not losing an arm.

A Potentially Imprudent Notice

Today, I wrote a note on one of the NC3405 whiteboards;

Hello! Welcome to the Physics Lounge, A.K.A., the Euphoric Chaos Room. My name is Tabor and I'm sometimes at the desk to the right of the fridge. I'm a physics student, and I'm paid to assist you and your professors. I'm lucky to have this job. I have 12 hours every week to build, program, clean, write and repair whatever. So I need as much input as possible to be useful. If you have any suggestions, comments, or requests, please tell me. My email is tabor (dot) henderson (at) (geemail) (dot) com. Let me know! -T

This may have been imprudent, in that I've pasted personal information on a wall, specifically asking for work. But I like work! Good work, at least. So, I'll see what this brings me, and record the best of it here.