Baby Bop had Janine up this morning from 12:30 AM till 2:00 AM. Then again at 5:00 AM. Luckily our older two daughters will willing to take turns this morning, so Janine went back to sleep. She finally got up about 9:00 AM.
Baby Bop is feeling awful. He just wants to be held. He has some kind of congestion in his chest. He says his stomache and ears hurt. Some times it is hard being a parent.
Janine and the older two girls have a Homeschool Band practice this morning. Normally Janine takes the younger two children and they play quietly off to the side. But with Baby Bop being sick, we don't want to expose him to other children. So I am staying home from work this morning. They get done with practice about noon, and I'll go to work then. Unfortunately I'll end up working till nine or so tonight.
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Technorati tags: family, news
Monday, December 07, 2009
Another beautiful picture from APOD - The Star Pillars of Sharpless 171
Nicolas Outters (Observatoire d'Orange) gave me permission to post his beautiful picture of The Star Pillars of Sharpless 171:
If you like this astronomy pictures, you can check out the Astronomy Picture of the Day, every day!
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Technorati tags: Astronomy, Astronomy Picture of the day, Nicolas Outters, Star Pillars, Sharpless, 171
This strikes close to home
As a software engineer working in the high tech industry, this strikes too close to home:
Not every engineer is doomed to be a nerd. I have learned a few social skills.
(Hat tip: The Thinking Mother)
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Technorati tags: engineers
Not every engineer is doomed to be a nerd. I have learned a few social skills.
(Hat tip: The Thinking Mother)
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Technorati tags: engineers
Would you like a copy of Susan Wise Bauer's latest book?
In Shameless self-promotion time!! Susan Wise Bauer writes:
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If you have a blog and you’d like to review the History of the Medieval World, you can get an advance copy…now! Email webmaster@welltrainedmind.com for details.
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Technorati tags: History, Medieval, World
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If you have a blog and you’d like to review the History of the Medieval World, you can get an advance copy…now! Email webmaster@welltrainedmind.com for details.
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Technorati tags: History, Medieval, World
You have till December 24th to vote
Alasandra is hosting her 2009 Best Homeschool Blogs contest. The contest is in the sidebar.
We've been nominated for the "Best Homeschool Group Blog!"
You have till December 24th to vote.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education
We've been nominated for the "Best Homeschool Group Blog!"
You have till December 24th to vote.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education
Natalie's hit song has over 100,000 hits
Last year Natalie Criss wrote the words to the homeschooler's version of "I will surive." I noticed that it now has over 111,000 views!
In case you missed it last year, or haven't seen recently:
Enjoy!
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education
In case you missed it last year, or haven't seen recently:
Enjoy!
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Reminder - send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
The next Carnival of Homeschooling at be hosted The HSBA Post.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
Here are the instructions for sending in a submission.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
Here are the instructions for sending in a submission.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Friday, December 04, 2009
Should you only praise and love your children?
Over the Thanksgiving weekend a friend told me about Nurture Shock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman. The authors reviewed current beliefs about parenting, and looked at the research. They explain how several myths on how to raise children are wrong.
One of their findings was that it is best when parents both praise and give corrective feedback. And we have to be careful about what we praise. If we praise the wrong things, like "You are so smart," too often children will then be reluctant to try difficult tasks. It is better to says things like "You are persistent!"
In It’s OK to praise, punish, Joanne Jacobs recounts an experiment where children in the US and Hong Kong were given IQ tests. No matter how the children did, the researcher told the mothers their children had done poorly. Joanne writes:
---------
Then she left the mothers in the room with the kids for five minutes.
The American moms talked to their kids about what they would have for dinner. They talked about the day. They never mentioned the test. The Chinese moms immediately told the kids that the children didn’t do well enough on the test; then the mothers and children sat down to look at where the kids went wrong.
Upon the retest, the Chinese kids improved at twice the rate of the Americans.
---------
Here is an interview with Po Bronson:
For more information you might check out ABC Newss interview of Po Bronson in The Myth of Praise, or the NurtureShock web site.
Nurture Shock looks worth reading. I have reserved it at my local library.
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Technorati tags: children, parenting
One of their findings was that it is best when parents both praise and give corrective feedback. And we have to be careful about what we praise. If we praise the wrong things, like "You are so smart," too often children will then be reluctant to try difficult tasks. It is better to says things like "You are persistent!"
In It’s OK to praise, punish, Joanne Jacobs recounts an experiment where children in the US and Hong Kong were given IQ tests. No matter how the children did, the researcher told the mothers their children had done poorly. Joanne writes:
---------
Then she left the mothers in the room with the kids for five minutes.
The American moms talked to their kids about what they would have for dinner. They talked about the day. They never mentioned the test. The Chinese moms immediately told the kids that the children didn’t do well enough on the test; then the mothers and children sat down to look at where the kids went wrong.
Upon the retest, the Chinese kids improved at twice the rate of the Americans.
---------
Here is an interview with Po Bronson:
For more information you might check out ABC Newss interview of Po Bronson in The Myth of Praise, or the NurtureShock web site.
Nurture Shock looks worth reading. I have reserved it at my local library.
----------
Technorati tags: children, parenting
Discretionary and Mandatory spending in the Federal Budget
I like 10000Pennies explanation of Discretionary and Mandatory spending in the Federal Budget:
(Hat tip: WILLisms.com)
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Technorati tags: Discretionary, Mandatory, spending, Federal Budget
(Hat tip: WILLisms.com)
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Technorati tags: Discretionary, Mandatory, spending, Federal Budget
Which to fix first? Education or Proverty?
Matthew Ladner says we should Fix education before fixing poverty:
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New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein recently stated:
People have said to me ‘Chancellor, we will never fix education in America until we fix poverty in America.’ Now I care about fixing poverty, but those people have got it exactly backwards folks. We are never going to fix poverty in America until we fix education in America, and this report shows that it is entirely doable.
Klein has both his theory of causality and priorities correct. Claiming that education cannot radically improve without the working class seizing the commanding heights of the American economy is more than silly. It is destructive to children.
A vastly expanded welfare state won’t change the fact that we recruit too few of the right people, and too many of the wrong people into teaching. It won’t change the fact that we distribute the limited supply of high-quality teachers as if we are intentionally stacking the deck against poor, inner city children. For that matter, it won’t change the fact we still don’t measure teacher effectiveness, and that when we do, we don’t do much of anything with the information. In fact **ahem** all of this happens in the government-controlled system of schools.
Pop quiz: should we bring the practices of our failed public school system to the rest of the economy to solve our education problems, or some market discipline into our failed schools? Anyone who actually cares about the plight of the poor would do well to listen to Chancellor Klein on this point.
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Human nature is funny. We consider people poor who don't have as much as average people. We rarely stop and realize that even poor people today live much better than people a hundred years ago. I'd rather live now than three hundred years ago as a king. I'm safer now, have better entertainment, it is easier to travel, there is more knowledge available, and I'll live longer.
Klein is right. Government does not have infinite resources. They should focus their limited resources on improving education.
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Technorati tags: children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education
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New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein recently stated:
People have said to me ‘Chancellor, we will never fix education in America until we fix poverty in America.’ Now I care about fixing poverty, but those people have got it exactly backwards folks. We are never going to fix poverty in America until we fix education in America, and this report shows that it is entirely doable.
Klein has both his theory of causality and priorities correct. Claiming that education cannot radically improve without the working class seizing the commanding heights of the American economy is more than silly. It is destructive to children.
A vastly expanded welfare state won’t change the fact that we recruit too few of the right people, and too many of the wrong people into teaching. It won’t change the fact that we distribute the limited supply of high-quality teachers as if we are intentionally stacking the deck against poor, inner city children. For that matter, it won’t change the fact we still don’t measure teacher effectiveness, and that when we do, we don’t do much of anything with the information. In fact **ahem** all of this happens in the government-controlled system of schools.
Pop quiz: should we bring the practices of our failed public school system to the rest of the economy to solve our education problems, or some market discipline into our failed schools? Anyone who actually cares about the plight of the poor would do well to listen to Chancellor Klein on this point.
----------
Human nature is funny. We consider people poor who don't have as much as average people. We rarely stop and realize that even poor people today live much better than people a hundred years ago. I'd rather live now than three hundred years ago as a king. I'm safer now, have better entertainment, it is easier to travel, there is more knowledge available, and I'll live longer.
Klein is right. Government does not have infinite resources. They should focus their limited resources on improving education.
----------
Technorati tags: children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education
Funny thought on exercise; sad thought about TV
From A.Word.A.Day:
If it weren't for the fact that the TV set and the refrigerator are so far apart, some of us wouldn't get any exercise at all.
-Joey Adams, comedian (1911-1999)
It looks like the average American watches almost five hours of TV a day.
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Technorati tags: TV, television
If it weren't for the fact that the TV set and the refrigerator are so far apart, some of us wouldn't get any exercise at all.
-Joey Adams, comedian (1911-1999)
It looks like the average American watches almost five hours of TV a day.
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Technorati tags: TV, television
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Rights with your camera
Too often I'll read a news article about some policeman who hassles a citizen taking pictures. This seems to happen when the policeman is involved with an arrest.
I like this summary of a photographer's rights. It starts with:
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About this Guide
Confrontations that impair the constitutional right to make images are becoming more common. To fight the abuse of your right to free expression, you need to know your rights to take photographs and the remedies available if your rights are infringed.
The General Rule
The general rule in the United States is that anyone may take photographs of whatever they want when they are in a public place or places where they have permission to take photographs. Absent a specific legal prohibition such as a statute or ordinance, you are legally entitled to take photographs. Examples of places that are traditionally considered public are streets, sidewalks, and public parks.
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I think it is good for all citizens to know what is legal. I've printed a copy so it is easy to reference. You might want to also print a copy.
(Hat tip: Instapundit)
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Technorati tags: photograph, rights
I like this summary of a photographer's rights. It starts with:
----------
About this Guide
Confrontations that impair the constitutional right to make images are becoming more common. To fight the abuse of your right to free expression, you need to know your rights to take photographs and the remedies available if your rights are infringed.
The General Rule
The general rule in the United States is that anyone may take photographs of whatever they want when they are in a public place or places where they have permission to take photographs. Absent a specific legal prohibition such as a statute or ordinance, you are legally entitled to take photographs. Examples of places that are traditionally considered public are streets, sidewalks, and public parks.
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I think it is good for all citizens to know what is legal. I've printed a copy so it is easy to reference. You might want to also print a copy.
(Hat tip: Instapundit)
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Technorati tags: photograph, rights
An explanation of Tax Deferral
The CEO at my company mentioned Tax Deferral. I didn't understand how it worked. I like this video by The Tax Foundation:
(Hat tip: Conservatism Today)
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Technorati tags: Tax, Deferral
(Hat tip: Conservatism Today)
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Technorati tags: Tax, Deferral
The Price of Children
My aunt and uncle sent this out awhile back:
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This is just too good not to pass on to all. Something absolutely positive for a change. I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It's nice.
The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.
But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down.
It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month, or
* $171..08 a week.
* That's a mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.
Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be 'rich.' Actually, it is just the opposite.
What do you get for your $160,140.00?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kiss es and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.
For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs, and
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.
You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish on stars.
* You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect! spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.
For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck.
You get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.
You get a front row seat in history to witness the:
* first step,
* first word,
* first bra,
* first date, and
* first time behind the wheel.
You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren.. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.
In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!
Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren & great-grandchildren !!!!!!!
It's the best investment you'll make!
----------
This site claims the above piece has been cloating around on the internet since 2005, but it isn't clear who wrote it. (Anonymous sure gets around.)
----------
Technorati tags: parenting, children, education
----------
This is just too good not to pass on to all. Something absolutely positive for a change. I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It's nice.
The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.
But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down.
It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month, or
* $171..08 a week.
* That's a mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.
Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be 'rich.' Actually, it is just the opposite.
What do you get for your $160,140.00?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kiss es and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.
For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs, and
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.
You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish on stars.
* You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect! spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.
For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck.
You get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.
You get a front row seat in history to witness the:
* first step,
* first word,
* first bra,
* first date, and
* first time behind the wheel.
You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren.. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.
In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!
Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren & great-grandchildren !!!!!!!
It's the best investment you'll make!
----------
This site claims the above piece has been cloating around on the internet since 2005, but it isn't clear who wrote it. (Anonymous sure gets around.)
----------
Technorati tags: parenting, children, education
Update on Lab on a chip
Last year I blogged about taking a daily blood test with our vitamins.
IBM's Move in Microfluidics is an update on this technology:
----------
Researchers at IBM have demonstrated a novel "lab on a chip" that uses capillary action to create a potential one-step diagnostic tool, and which could ultimately test for a wide range of diseases and viruses.
The chip requires only a small drop of blood, which it draws through tiny channels within the device. The blood reacts with different disease markers to provide accurate diagnoses in about 15 minutes, says Emmanuel Delamarche, who codeveloped the device at IBM Zurich Research Laboratory in Switzerland.
A nice thing about the new chip is that it involves no moving parts, says IBM's Luc Gervais, who is also a researcher at the University Hospital Basel. Instead, it works using capillary action to filter blood and pump serum through its various chambers.
----------
I hope they work out the bugs soon. This would be such a help. There are lots of medical conditions which are more successfully treated when they are caught early.
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Technorati tags: blood, test, chip
IBM's Move in Microfluidics is an update on this technology:
----------
Researchers at IBM have demonstrated a novel "lab on a chip" that uses capillary action to create a potential one-step diagnostic tool, and which could ultimately test for a wide range of diseases and viruses.
The chip requires only a small drop of blood, which it draws through tiny channels within the device. The blood reacts with different disease markers to provide accurate diagnoses in about 15 minutes, says Emmanuel Delamarche, who codeveloped the device at IBM Zurich Research Laboratory in Switzerland.
A nice thing about the new chip is that it involves no moving parts, says IBM's Luc Gervais, who is also a researcher at the University Hospital Basel. Instead, it works using capillary action to filter blood and pump serum through its various chambers.
----------
I hope they work out the bugs soon. This would be such a help. There are lots of medical conditions which are more successfully treated when they are caught early.
----------
Technorati tags: blood, test, chip
An interesting teaching style
My Favorite Liar has an interesting teaching style. A college professor told his students that there would be one lie in each of his lectures. The students listened carefully to catch the lie.
(Hat tip: Hacker News)
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Technorati tags: teaching, style
(Hat tip: Hacker News)
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Technorati tags: teaching, style
Another reason to homeschool - to make sure your children have financial literacy
Lisa Fairfax reports on The Financial Literacy (or Lack Thereof) of Young Americans:
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In connection with a story I was reading about the SEC’s outreach efforts to promote financial literacy among elementary students, I stumbled across a pretty depressing survey on financial literacy in young Americans. Last Friday, officials from the SEC, FINRA and the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy visited 18 elementary schools throughout the county to teach a class on financial literacy. The program is part of a joint partnership among the organizations called Project C.H.A.N.G.E: Creating Habits and Awareness for the Next Generation’s Economy. In talking about Project C.H.A.N.G.E, Chairman Schapiro noted “Teaching children about money is an investment in the future, because an investment in financial literacy can pay a lifetime of dividends.” And apparently young Americans are in dire need of such an investment.
A 2008 national Jump$tart survey found that the financial literacy of high school students had fallen to its lowest level ever, with students scoring an average of 48.3%--that would be a failing grade. The survey notes that basic and critical financial concepts are simply not getting through to the next generation. To be sure, college students fare better on the survey and hence, the survey concludes that “American college graduates are close to being financially literate and probably will be so with more life experience.” However, because only 25% of our youth graduate from college, the survey's results mean that 75% of young American adults “are likely to lack the skills necessary to make beneficial financial decisions.”
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Read the second paragraph again, 75% of young American adults “are likely to lack the skills necessary to make beneficial financial decisions.”
I think the primary responsibility for a financial education lies with the parents. One problem with government schools is the schools demand so much time, that often parents have to work hard just to spend time with their children. Public school parents may not realize the public schools are doing a poor job in teaching about money.
I'm glad we can homeschool. Our daughters have read several books about money. We often talk about money. And maybe most important, they are learning about saving, and restricting their spending!
----------
Technorati tags: children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education, homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, financial education
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In connection with a story I was reading about the SEC’s outreach efforts to promote financial literacy among elementary students, I stumbled across a pretty depressing survey on financial literacy in young Americans. Last Friday, officials from the SEC, FINRA and the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy visited 18 elementary schools throughout the county to teach a class on financial literacy. The program is part of a joint partnership among the organizations called Project C.H.A.N.G.E: Creating Habits and Awareness for the Next Generation’s Economy. In talking about Project C.H.A.N.G.E, Chairman Schapiro noted “Teaching children about money is an investment in the future, because an investment in financial literacy can pay a lifetime of dividends.” And apparently young Americans are in dire need of such an investment.
A 2008 national Jump$tart survey found that the financial literacy of high school students had fallen to its lowest level ever, with students scoring an average of 48.3%--that would be a failing grade. The survey notes that basic and critical financial concepts are simply not getting through to the next generation. To be sure, college students fare better on the survey and hence, the survey concludes that “American college graduates are close to being financially literate and probably will be so with more life experience.” However, because only 25% of our youth graduate from college, the survey's results mean that 75% of young American adults “are likely to lack the skills necessary to make beneficial financial decisions.”
----------
Read the second paragraph again, 75% of young American adults “are likely to lack the skills necessary to make beneficial financial decisions.”
I think the primary responsibility for a financial education lies with the parents. One problem with government schools is the schools demand so much time, that often parents have to work hard just to spend time with their children. Public school parents may not realize the public schools are doing a poor job in teaching about money.
I'm glad we can homeschool. Our daughters have read several books about money. We often talk about money. And maybe most important, they are learning about saving, and restricting their spending!
----------
Technorati tags: children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education, homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, financial education
Are problems never ending?
From Dan Galvin's Thought For The Day mailing list:
"Every solution breeds new problems."
Though some problems are nastier than other problems. I would rather deal lack of dessert than lack of food.
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Technorati tags: problems
"Every solution breeds new problems."
Though some problems are nastier than other problems. I would rather deal lack of dessert than lack of food.
----------
Technorati tags: problems
Adding to my extended memory
I find it interesting that our blog has become an extension of my memory. This post is partly to add more to my extended memory.
I don't remember hearing about the Cook Partisan Voting Index before. Here's the first paragraph from the Wikipedia entry:
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The Cook Partisan Voting Index (CPVI), sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index (PVI), is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole. It was developed in 1997 by Charlie Cook of the Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan political newsletter, working with Polidata, a political statistics analysis firm.
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It is an interesting way to look at voting patterns.
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Technorati tags: politics
I don't remember hearing about the Cook Partisan Voting Index before. Here's the first paragraph from the Wikipedia entry:
----------
The Cook Partisan Voting Index (CPVI), sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index (PVI), is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole. It was developed in 1997 by Charlie Cook of the Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan political newsletter, working with Polidata, a political statistics analysis firm.
----------
It is an interesting way to look at voting patterns.
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Technorati tags: politics
A risk in using an ATM machine
In a Risks Digest, Ben Moore reports about Used ATM Machines for Sale on Craigslist:
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Used ATM machines are for sale on auction sites, many of which still contain credit card numbers.
Identity theft expert Robert Siciliano is claiming that he bought a used ATM machine on Craigslist for $750. Apparently, this isn't unusual: he found plenty of machines on both Craigslist and eBay ranging between $500 and $2000 USD. However, this particular ATM machine was listed by a bar north of Boston, and contained 1000 credit card numbers.
----------
Wow! I didn't realize that ATM machines kept credit card information. I figured that the data was just transmitted to a central computer.
I'm not sure what the solution is. I think I would be very careful about using a bank which released an ATM machine with credit card information. I wonder if there is a site which track where the bad ATM machines came from.
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Technorati tags: ATM, credit, cards
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Used ATM machines are for sale on auction sites, many of which still contain credit card numbers.
Identity theft expert Robert Siciliano is claiming that he bought a used ATM machine on Craigslist for $750. Apparently, this isn't unusual: he found plenty of machines on both Craigslist and eBay ranging between $500 and $2000 USD. However, this particular ATM machine was listed by a bar north of Boston, and contained 1000 credit card numbers.
----------
Wow! I didn't realize that ATM machines kept credit card information. I figured that the data was just transmitted to a central computer.
I'm not sure what the solution is. I think I would be very careful about using a bank which released an ATM machine with credit card information. I wonder if there is a site which track where the bad ATM machines came from.
----------
Technorati tags: ATM, credit, cards
The type of exercise is important
Why a short run is better than a long walk reports:
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Using the latest technology, researchers are uncovering evidence of exactly how major a role activity plays in the battle to keep obesity at bay. In new report published in the British Medical Journal, scientists have shown that it’s the type of exercise you do, rather than the amount, that's most important.
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Technorati tags: exercise
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Using the latest technology, researchers are uncovering evidence of exactly how major a role activity plays in the battle to keep obesity at bay. In new report published in the British Medical Journal, scientists have shown that it’s the type of exercise you do, rather than the amount, that's most important.
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Technorati tags: exercise
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
The Carnival of Homeschooling is up - The Crazy Homeschooler Edition
Andrea is hosting this week's Carnival of Homeschooling at the Atlanta Homeschooling Examiner.
She starts with:
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Welcome to the 205th edition of Carnival of Homeschooling. As the entries rolled in, I noticed the first few were somewhat humourous. So I entitled this edition, Those Crazy Homeschoolers.
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Enjoy!
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
She starts with:
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Welcome to the 205th edition of Carnival of Homeschooling. As the entries rolled in, I noticed the first few were somewhat humourous. So I entitled this edition, Those Crazy Homeschoolers.
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Enjoy!
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
We're back
It has been over eight days since Janine or I have posted on our blog. I think this is the longest we've gone on sabbatical.
We've been on vacation!
We took the train up to Seattle on the sleeper car. We left on Thursday evening. It turns out the prices are much cheaper on holidays when people want to be at home. We arrived Friday evening.
We had a great time visiting with family. We did a little tourist stuff, but mostly we just hung out. Our daughters had a great time playing with their cousins.
We flew back yesterday, and now it is back to the normal grind.
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.
UPDATE: From Janine
Henry left out the best part of our trip. On Thanksgiving day, Baby Bop threw up 3 times. He wasn't running a fever, so we hoped it was something he ate. We had a real dilemma. Do we cancel the trip or not. What made it harder, we were traveling with friends.
So, after a few "he doesn't look that sick", "we are on a train that has fresh circulating air" and "he will be well tomorrow" conversations, we decided to go ahead with the trip. Just about the time we hit the train station, Baby Bop developed a low grade fever.
I became a obsessive compulsive hand washer. We warned our relatives and I spent a few afternoons hanging out in the hotel room wondering if our family would ever be completely well again. (We've had the swine flu, a cold, and this stomach bug works their way through our family this fall.)
During our trip, Baby Bop ran a low grade fever on and off. Just when we would think it was over and he would be eating and acting normally, Baby Bop would spike another fever. It was kind of weird. He would look perfectly fine one minute and then be sick the next and then a few hours later act perfectly fine again.
Luckily, no one else got sick and Baby Bop was finally well on the morning we flew home. The house was pretty much a wreck and the kids and I were exhausted. Henry seemed to do ok because of the hotel room set up, he had to go to bed when the kids did, so he got more sleep than he does at home.
Today, homeschooling consisted of resting, house cleaning, and rehearsals (we have holiday instrumental performances coming up), and least I forget, Baby Bop's speech therapy. I did take a little nap propped up against the wall while Baby Bop worked with the speech pathologist. I think I need a vacation to recover from our vacation.
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Technorati tags: family, news
We've been on vacation!
We took the train up to Seattle on the sleeper car. We left on Thursday evening. It turns out the prices are much cheaper on holidays when people want to be at home. We arrived Friday evening.
We had a great time visiting with family. We did a little tourist stuff, but mostly we just hung out. Our daughters had a great time playing with their cousins.
We flew back yesterday, and now it is back to the normal grind.
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.
UPDATE: From Janine
Henry left out the best part of our trip. On Thanksgiving day, Baby Bop threw up 3 times. He wasn't running a fever, so we hoped it was something he ate. We had a real dilemma. Do we cancel the trip or not. What made it harder, we were traveling with friends.
So, after a few "he doesn't look that sick", "we are on a train that has fresh circulating air" and "he will be well tomorrow" conversations, we decided to go ahead with the trip. Just about the time we hit the train station, Baby Bop developed a low grade fever.
I became a obsessive compulsive hand washer. We warned our relatives and I spent a few afternoons hanging out in the hotel room wondering if our family would ever be completely well again. (We've had the swine flu, a cold, and this stomach bug works their way through our family this fall.)
During our trip, Baby Bop ran a low grade fever on and off. Just when we would think it was over and he would be eating and acting normally, Baby Bop would spike another fever. It was kind of weird. He would look perfectly fine one minute and then be sick the next and then a few hours later act perfectly fine again.
Luckily, no one else got sick and Baby Bop was finally well on the morning we flew home. The house was pretty much a wreck and the kids and I were exhausted. Henry seemed to do ok because of the hotel room set up, he had to go to bed when the kids did, so he got more sleep than he does at home.
Today, homeschooling consisted of resting, house cleaning, and rehearsals (we have holiday instrumental performances coming up), and least I forget, Baby Bop's speech therapy. I did take a little nap propped up against the wall while Baby Bop worked with the speech pathologist. I think I need a vacation to recover from our vacation.
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Technorati tags: family, news
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The Carnival of Homeschooling is up!
Sherene is hosting this week's Carnival of Homeschooling at the Norfolk Homeschooling Examiner.
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Monday, November 23, 2009
We live in a crazy world
Joanne Jacobs reports Test-prepping for ‘gifted” kindergarten:
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To get their children into “gifted” kindergarten classes, affluent New Yorkers are hiring tutors to test-prep three- and four-year-olds, reports the New York Times. A “gifted” public education is free, while private school may cost $20,000 a year. So the cost of tutoring seems small by comparison.
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I can understand helping high school students get ready for college tests, but trying to help a three-year-old get into a "gifted" public education class???
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Technorati tags: children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education
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To get their children into “gifted” kindergarten classes, affluent New Yorkers are hiring tutors to test-prep three- and four-year-olds, reports the New York Times. A “gifted” public education is free, while private school may cost $20,000 a year. So the cost of tutoring seems small by comparison.
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I can understand helping high school students get ready for college tests, but trying to help a three-year-old get into a "gifted" public education class???
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Technorati tags: children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education
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