Author Archives: jbj

Changes ahead!

(and no, the change isn’t just that I’m posting to this blog again!) I’m delighted to report that, beginning next month, I will be the Director of Educational Technology at Trinity College. This is an exciting opportunity to work closely … Continue reading

Posted in connecticut, higher education | 2 Comments

From Satiric Dystopia to State of CT Policy in 20 Years

One of my favorite quick jokes in Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash (1992) is when Y.T.’s mom reads a memo about toilet paper regulations. Because she works for Fedland (what’s left of the US government), the memo includes an estimated reading … Continue reading

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In which the Met tells poor people to suck it

Lest there be any doubt about the class loyalties of the Met: As the burden of service and taxation fell increasingly on the humiliates, they sought relief either by fleeing from the land or by finding solace in the promise … Continue reading

Posted in things that should stop | Comments Off on In which the Met tells poor people to suck it

Adapting The Decemberists

The 8-yo spends a significant amount of free time drawing comic books (basically, whenever he’s not playing soccer or on his computer). And one of his favorite albums from the past year is The Decemberists’ The King Is Dead. So … Continue reading

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Banning Balls in School

Let’s take it as read that the public schools these days worship a false idol of “safety,” trying so hard to be risk-averse that they often end up spoiling kids’ fun and making it harder for them to learn. I’ve … Continue reading

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Why Your Twitter Person Needs to Be Older than 25

. . . otherwise, this happens: First, Mark recommended the Diigo iOS browser: . . . which makes sense, since he’s written about Diigo on ProfHacker. I replied, which makes sense, because I’m an idiot. That’s when things got entertaining: … Continue reading

Posted in silliness | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Draft Booklist for a Last-Minute First-Year Writing Course

As I’ve whined on Twitter, my digital humanities class this semester was canceled*, and has been replaced with a section of first-year writing.  Since classes begin on the 24th,  I need a book order immediately, and a syllabus soon after. My … Continue reading

Posted in books, CCSU, teaching | 3 Comments

New Mars Discoveries from Viking, 3 Decades Later

A couple of months ago, I did a “This Day in Technology” piece for Wired.com on the anniversary of Viking 2, and so I’ve been paying attention to Mars news. This latter-day Viking discovery looks pretty cool: Scientists repeated a … Continue reading

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My 7-yr-old understands the economics of higher ed

Sorry it’s been a while: It turns out that simultaneously launching ProfHacker and getting elected union president had deleterious effects on my private blogging. But no more!) On New Year’s Eve, the 7-year-old spent about 45 minutes putting together a … Continue reading

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A little site my friends and I put together in August

 If you find yourself missing content at The Salt-Box, which I guess is possible, you can slake your desire here: http://www.profhacker.com ProfHacker is a multi-author blog, edited by George Williams and I [see the comments before sending a grammar flame, … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments