Summer Lessons: The Cardinal Sins of Internet Browsers

I'm feeling especially grouchy today. Maybe it's because a fire alarm was going off in the hospital I work in and it gave me a headache. But regardless, it's inspired me to be rather snarky. I apologize in advance...

Watching people use computers, and watching people teaching me things on computers has brought to the forefront of my mind some things which should really never be done when it comes to browsers. I'm going to start the compilation of a list here, and I may add to it as I see fit.

1: Thou shalt not open, and especially not go out of your way to open, Netscape or Internet Explorer when Chrome or Firefox are offered to you.

It just gives me the chills that I've even seen this happen... perfectly good browsers waiting on the desktop to be used, but you're going to go into the program menu just to open IE? I shudder to think.

2: Thou shalt not enter the address "www.google.com" in the address bar of Chrome in order to go google something. It's GOOGLE Chrome. 

Really? Congratulations, you just divided by zero.

3: Thou shalt not type "http://" before a web address. Even typing out "www." may be taking it too far, but for that you can be forgiven.

Your browser knows these things. Unless you're worried about secure browsing and you're afraid you won't automatically be redirected the "https://" (the s stands for secure!) it's just nails on a chalkboard unnecessary.

Day 90: Painfully Poorly Written Case-Studies

If you ever find yourself in a position where you are writing case studies for students to use, please for the love of whatever you hold dear, DO NOT give a ridiculous word-for-word account of every conversation of stilted dialogue that your two imaginary characters have ever had....

...And then top it off with ham-fisted attempts at purple prose. That prose is now purple only because you bludgeoned it into submission.

Highlights (paraphrased):
"She watched the janitor below and envied his uncomplicated life."
"[rambling paragraph of unrealistic internal monologue filled with overly specific references to obscure management techniques and theories] she meditated as she watched the sun dip below the horizon."

-_- Are you kidding me right now?

However, even the most hated things can hold a lesson! At one point in her over-theoretical ruminations, this particular character wonders if the employee giving her trouble has psychiatric issues, and wonders if she should recommend him to a psychiatrist, or if maybe bibliotherapy would help.

"Bibliotherapy? That sounds cool, is that actually a thing?" I mused thoughtfully. I could kind of guess at what it suggested, but I wanted to be sure. "To Wikipedia!" my internal monologue cried out as I grasped my iPad...

See what I did there? ...I think that case study melted my brain...

Lesson 89: The Ancient Greeks inscribed signs above their libraries, "stating them to be healing places for the soul"^[1].

How poetic! I think I'd like to make a sign like that for my future, and inevitable, home library. Maybe I'll learn to cross-stitch just to make a sampler that says that...

Bibliotherapy: definitely what I thought it was, and definitely cool. And definitely added to my topics to read about list.

In other news, yesterday's post has been delayed because I'm waiting till I can add a couple pictures, as I largely discuss my Toronto adventure. So it'll be worth the wait; a lovely illustrated post.

^[1]Sullivan, A. K., & Strang, H. R. (2003). Bibliotherapy in the classroom. Childhood Education, 79(2), 74-80. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/210384283?accountid=12339

Day 69: Not Going To Say Anything... I Am Matuer.

Swave and deboner too!

.... Jokes that only really work when spoken. Ignore me.

Anyways... Today was my last first class of the semester. And because it's basically How To Be In Charge 101, we did an activity I've done quite a few times before, it's kind of a thing in Scouts.

It's a NASA activity in which you've crashed on the moon and your survival depends on reaching the mothership over 200 miles away. You have 15 items, and in order to succeed must rank them by importance.

Now it's an easy activity if you know Maslow's hierarchy of needs, or even if you just know what you need to survive. Priorities include not running out of air to breathe, having enough water to make sure you don't dehydrate before you get there and food to make sure you don't starve. 200 miles could take you 3 days if you go without stopping for sleep or anything, or over a week if you actually rest or are injured etc.

Lesson 65: Things are never as easy as you think they should be. Or alternatively: Being fully grown and well-educated does not mean you understand space.

Some people in my group had assumed that we weren't on the moon as it currently exists, but one on which we did not require breathing apparatuses (apparati?). They couldn't fathom that NASA would have given us things that wouldn't have been useful in this exact situation, therefore the fact we had matches proved that we could breathe on the moon. One guy wanted us to leave the oxygen behind entirely...

Matches, the raft, the compass, they were on the shuttle for if we crashed in the water... On Earth.

And yet, the whole group got derailed because of this.

Things are never as easy as you think they should be.

I'm Batman. And I can breathe in space.