What if your superpower is drawing really big pictures? You might end up being part of an exhibit just as Ron Kaskuk of Athens, Illinois, demonstrates here.
Mr. Kaskuk is a professional graffiti artist adept at covering large spaces.
Enjoy!
Random Notes
Rescued by a Competitor
John Harrison and the Problem of Longitude
Currently reading “Longitude” by Dava Sobel and gaining insight into the fascinating story of dead reckoning navigation and its deadly results. As a consequence, the Longitude Act sought a better way of determining a ship’s position in the sea.
I like this video because I wanted to see one of John Harrison’s chronometers in action. There is more history here than I had already learned from the book, and I saw his early clocks, wooden clocks, clocks without lubrication; fascinating to the mechanical side of my interests.
Going Virtual in a non-Virtual World
Yesterday, the school went to a soft closure involving half our students. Some of the kids were boarding the bus (to go home for 2 weeks of home learning) with the comment that they have no internet at home.
There are always ways around this if you have transportation to the public library and the public library remains open. This is still a challenge in our rural area since the library does not have regular hours.
In the short term, many of our students will once again bend over backwards to stay up to date on their assignments. Our teachers will be doing their very best to communicate through all these challenges.
In the long term, some of our families could benefit from grants like this:
https://www.strongfamilies.idaho.gov/
Schools are doing their best to get the word out. Ironically, those without the internet don’t see the offer for internet help, therefore we’ve tried to send fliers to everyone.
Another issue is that many rural locations just do not have any access to the internet or their access is very limited. We are used to this, but when several kids in a family need internet access to get the most out of their classes, the technology hurdle becomes daunting.
Word for the Day
I learned a new word today: Pragmatics.
Here is a short(ish) video to explain the concept. Enjoy!
Big Ben
Just finished the book by Kerstin Gier, “Ruby Red”, a new book in our library.
There is quite a bit about time travel and it makes one think about the possibilities. Time travel governed by a secret society, — well yes. It would be nefarious in most respects and therefore have to remain secret.
Having just finished that, listening via narration by Marisa Calin, there is a sudden interest in all things English. Indulge me as we take a swift tour of Big Ben.
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