Monthly Archives: July 2005

Weekend Photos

Messing around with different cameras: one a stereo microscope camera, the other a digital camera with some manual settings.

Posted in Blogging, Miscellany | 5 Comments

DeLong, Diamond and Savage Minds

[cross-posted at Cliopatria] Brad DeLong has been fairly harsh in his response to the Savage Minds bloggers on the subject of Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs and Steel. I also have problems with the SM bloggers in their reading (or viewing) … Continue reading

Posted in Academia, Africa, Books | 6 Comments

Maybe I had better read more books first. Oh. I thought “sawhorse” meant you were supposed to saw it. Do you smell something burning? Oh, geez, I’m supposed to used scrap wood to keep the cut from pinching. But I … Continue reading

Posted in Miscellany | 18 Comments

Two Quick Notes

First, I’ve discovered that John Roberts’ brother-in-law is named Tim Burke. Just so you know, that’s not me. Second, I still have my thumbs. I haven’t even assembled one bookshelf yet, though, let alone two. Let’s just say that my … Continue reading

Posted in Miscellany | 1 Comment

You Knew Me When I Had Thumbs

So I’ve been setting up for a while to do some woodworking. Reading a lot, practicing gently a bit, planning. This weekend, I’m hoping to make two bookshelves, which has been the big short-term objective. I want to have some … Continue reading

Posted in Miscellany | Comments Off on You Knew Me When I Had Thumbs

Doing the Math

I’m starting to feel weary and gun-shy about political discussions in the public sphere (among bloggers or otherwise). It feels to me that so few people are stopping to take a deep breath, look at issues from several angles, think … Continue reading

Posted in Politics | 60 Comments

A Thing I’ve Learned About Teaching

One thing I’ve learned about teaching over the years is that in an undergraduate course, it’s usually a mistake to assign the best scholarly works that you otherwise rely on in your field. There’s some exceptions. I teach an upper-level … Continue reading

Posted in Academia | 9 Comments

Woof, Woof! Zap!

My daughter was intrigued by the ads for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. So I decided to strike while the iron’s hot. I haven’t read the book to her yet, (we’re halfway through The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) or … Continue reading

Posted in Popular Culture | 7 Comments

Whoa. Yeah, yeah. Hmm. Yes! No! Whoa.

Or, “My weekend with the new Harry Potter book”. Spoilers abound, so avert your eyes if you want to remain innocent of the plot details. — At the beginning of the book, Rowling appeared to signal that the status quo … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Popular Culture | 43 Comments

Book Notes: Theory’s Empire

Warning: this is a really, really long post. Continue reading

Posted in Academia, Books | 31 Comments