The Professor's Notes

Yes, I am writing a blog entry, and no, the title is not a hint at my desire to be reflective.
For those that listened to the podcast that I posted with my brother, you may recall he mentioned a book, written by Edward Bellamy in 1887, where according to my brother Bellamy predicted the use of credit cards, and covered walkways. Well I was intrigued, and set out to find a copy of the book that I could read (digitally, of course!) As luck would have it, I have found a site that has all sorts of books that have entered the public domain. I am providing the direct link at manybooks.net for the bellamy book, but certainly go search around and see what else may interest you!

One of the things I like about the site is that it lets you choose the format(s) for the book that best suits you. Certainly I went for the pdf file, but you can also get it as:

• PDF
• PDF Large Format (I am getting older, perhaps I should get that format?)
• eReader
• Rocketbook
• NewtonBook (Hey, if you listened to the podcast, you know my brother and I both had Newtons too!)
• Mobipocket
• (and others!)

If you like to read, and you always wanted to catch up on the world of books, check this site out. It is well worth the time.

Come back here, and leave a comment, telling all of us what books you chose to download. In fact, if enough of you are interested, I will open up a page simply for book reviews and discussions. What better way to learn than through books, and sharing.

–The Professor

I decided to do another podcast, this time on football. Those of you that have made it over here from the “Father Son Chats” know that my son and I talk about football quite a bit, and by and large, it’s Penn State Football.  I had the opportunity to go the the PSU vs Illinois game, and had great seats.  Well I thought they were great, until I found out that not everyone that goes to a game, or has season tickets, is actually a “fan.”   Some are apparently there simply for bragging rights.  To say they were there, keeping true fans from getting seats.

So if you want to hear my thoughts about these fans, go ahead and listen.  And don’t forget–there is a special place for Usher #257.

Thanks to my brother for this comic posted to his blog.  If you haven’t already visited him, go check out his blog at targuman.org/blog.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Well, we finally did it. We sat down at my brother’s house, and recorded our first podcast. Perhaps Leo Laporte is right, and we are more likely “Blather-casting” but hey, we are talking. We talk about so many things, with the original motivation for the podcast being my creation of the word “Technigion.” Technigion is my word that captures the blending of technology and religion–otherwise known as being a “Mac User.” (you have to go 6 minutes and 35 seconds before we get there though.).
As you listen, you will realize my brother in on the left, and I am on the right. I sat a bit further back from the microphone, so I am a bit “fainter” which is a problem that perhaps could have been resolved through the use of a great program called “Levelator” which actually levels out audio between different microphones. Ahh well.

I hope you enjoy the podcast, and remember, you can always get this podcast through an iTunes subscription by going to The Podcast Link.

I would also recommend you visit some of the other site we talk about.

• twit.tv
• Revision3.com
• segway.com
• The Newton Source – The essential Newton Reference
• TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog
• Steve Kemper, author of “Code Named Ginger”

Let us know what you think, and how far YOU made it through the podcast before you quit.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

I decided to talk about podcasting as a tool. I talk about the ways “personal on-demand ‘casting” can be used to change the way we think about learning, not just in a class, but outside the classroom, and beyond structured learning.

I talk about a few of my favorite podcasts:

Several from http://twit.tv

• This week in Tech
• Inside the Net

And several others:

• The Diva Cast (http://thedivacast.com)
• NPR’s Science Friday
• New Scientist Podcast

I would recommend you explore the many podcasts available. Remember, you don’t have to have an iPod, or even iTunes, to listen to podcasts. You just need to have a computer or an MP3 player. go look at what is available at places like http://podcastalley.com, http://podshow.com or even in the iTunes store.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this, my first “Podcast” for the Professor’s Lecture Notes, I talk in general about PodCasting, and then share my thoughts on the Congressman Foley fiasco.

Let me make a couple things clear right up front. Foley did a “wrong thing.” I am in no way making an excuse for his behavior, or saying we should accept what he did. I am in my podcast simply pointing out that, when given the chance to take action against two congressman that had even more egregious behavior, a Democratically controlled Congress only slapped their wrists.

Anyway, listen to the podcast, and feel free to subscribe!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download