Author Archives: Zach
10,000 Hours (Yeah, right, Malcolm!)
Malcolm Gladwell’s new book Outliers makes the audacious claim that 10,000 hours of practice is the magic number for obtaining expertise (from Daring Fireball) Having done a fair amount of reading on expertise (though it is not my research area), … Continue reading
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Fixing Computers
As the de facto tech support for my grad program, roommate, and family (which is weird with a PhD electrical engineer and a M.A. in technology education), I am often greeted with awe and wonder (well, not by the immediate … Continue reading
Posted in Computers
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Presidential Word Counts
It’s conference submission season around our department, so I am very sensitive to word counts. I noticed during the primary that Obama’s website featured lengthy policy documents in PDF format, whereas McCain and Clinton had much skimpier policy positions on … Continue reading
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Os Mutantes: Parody or Tribute?
In honor (or despite of) McDonald’s use of “A Minha Menina” in a Olympics commercial, I wanted to share some thoughts about Os Mutantes. Despite being championed by Beck and David Byrne Os Mutantes are still relatively little known, so … Continue reading
Posted in Music
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Old Politicians never die
;they only get forwarded… I was curious about what happens to old political websites when the candidate has not been running for several years. All of the 2008 candidates still have active sites because it’s too soon, but what of … Continue reading
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This really happened…
at my high school. This explains any grammatical or spelling mistakes; I had teachers like this. Yes, I did have “Crapo” in high school. This is not exaggeration. Names have been changed to protect the guilty. I present for your … Continue reading
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Lineages
I was thinking about the progression from exponent to godfather to grandfather status in a movement (literary, musical, etc.). It seems fuzzy when someone goes from an “Exponent” (a more gender neutral term for “Father”) to a “Godfather” (no gender … Continue reading
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Guns versus Gas
Why Guns Over Gas? The answer is not, “Because they are American…” This is consistent with what we know about rewarding people in the workplace. If you offer someone a vacation or a bonus to their paycheck, they will more … Continue reading
Olympic Posters
Olympic Posters. The Mexico ’68 Poster is particularly striking.
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Justice
I study organizational justice as part of my research. Organization justice perceptions influence a lot of important outcomes in the workplace. For instance, a worker who feels as if he or she is treated unfairly will likely not be satisfied, … Continue reading