All Blog Comments

Eugene Gordin - [The Aggregate] Week of November 2nd, 2009

Eugene Gordin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:54:00 +0000

While we can certainly debate the degree of despotism within the teacher’s unions, their taxpayer-funded pursuits of self preservation come at the cost of the most education-starved students, and discourage our nation’s most talented people from joining organizations like Teach for America. I completely agree that following the money trail is a must for education reform - moreso than loopholes, millions of paper passing bureaucrats at the district level not only bleed the coffers of the educational system, but enact careless and shortsighted rules which get between teachers and their students. And just as with other levels of government, the case for additional funding should not even before a clear understanding and justification is made for the millions of dollars wasted in the current system. I believe that the difficulty in tying pay to performance comes specifically from teachers’ unions, and not the idea itself. Your point about students failing standardized tests as a variable in teacher salary is true, but I do not believe that the education system cannot come up with pay scales which are normalized to the school and the community which houses it. This normalization can be the starting point, ramped up over time as incentives do their work. You talked about developing a stronger market for private companies and non-profits to provide comprehensive school rankings - I think that’s a secondary step. What about developing a stronger market for private companies and non-profits to provide comprehensive schooling? While our students are racing to the top, why not incentivize schools to race against each other as well? I agree that bringing teachers to the table to create and experiment with new performance standards would be a step in the right direction. Do you have any idea why this hasn’t happened, or better yet, why it hasn’t yielded any notable results? Oh an PS - This is a blog on the internet: no comment has a thesis here :P PPS - Have you guys seen Robert Reich's voucher idea?

Jyot - [The Aggregate] Week of November 2nd, 2009

Jyot — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:45:53 +0000

I had a great conversation with my friend Cleve yesterday about the structural issues with our educational system and I'm looking forward to seeing the results of the Race to the Top initiative. We talked a lot about teacher's unions and how they could be improved. I would certainly not go as far as calling them despotic -- there are, in my view, ways that they don't protect the interests of high-performing and talented teachers enough. Aside from crafting a proper measurement tool of performance (an very very very difficult thing to do that nevertheless must be done), we also need to look at the way administrations conduct themselves from the district level down to the front office staff at our local high schools. How is money being made and how is money being spent? What loopholes, for example, are being exploited? I hate relying on anecdotes and I don't want to right now, but I do wonder how widespread the following scenario takes place: a math teacher legitimately fears losing their job when an arts teacher does not. Why? Because administrators, in their zeal to make the case that they need more funding, want to show that 'we're so far in the whole that we even have to lay off our math teachers.' I know it's a fear by some math teachers I know, but at this point I can't say if it's cynical paranoia, or a harsh reality that hasn't surfaced in the public debate. That still doesn't address the problem of properly basing pay and hire/fire practices for teachers on performance. Regardless of whether or not you think teachers get paid enough to attract only the best (they don't), the problem of not attaching pay to performance must be addressed. It's very difficult to do (if it wasn't we'd have it solved by now) but we need more brainstorming and experimentation. Because there are an incredible amount of factors that affect a student's ability to succeed in class, no hard and fast rule would suffice. The fact that 60% of the students in a classroom fail the standardized test is not sufficient to conclude that the teacher deserves a pay cut or is fully responsible. Many different measurements need to be considered that rely on input from administrators, parents, 3rd party groups, and, possibly, student input. I wonder what different experimental performance measurements we can develop. This comment doesn't have a thesis. You're posting and the unveiling of Race to the Top just brings about so many questions in my mind about how we make our educational system competitive. I was just thinking last night, just brainstorming really, of how we can better improve our performance measurements. I wonder if we could somehow meld both standardized tests and grading systems in individual classes. This could be extremely convoluted and too complex to function, but if we had ways to bring teachers to the table and ask how their grading system in their classroom works, have measurements that validate the grading system (and give enough leeway), and have those grades students are receiving in class be looked at as well as the scores they receive on standardized tests. This opens another issue that is hotly debated: truly allowing students to fail if they don't perform in class. I won't go into that right now. The other thing I was thinking about was developing a stronger market for private companies and non-profits to provide comprehensive school rankings. I know there are a few out there now, but it's a weak market that doesn't get much hype. I mean, say what you want to say about US News Rankings and how they choose schools, but it is one of a number of reports that people regularly look at. This is unfortunately not a good time to use this example, but look at S&P 500 (I know, how dare I use them as a model), an independent body (well, they ruined that rep) that took a hard look at the state of competing public companies. Developing a number of strong, credible organizations that listed their results and people actually cared about them may be a step in the right direction. There are so many issues wrapped up in education and I find it hard to think of any issue more important. Again, I'm looking forward to seeing how Race To The Top plays out in the public debate (I think it's more than an imitation of NCLB especially in that it considers 'improvements' and not just meeting hard and fast standards across the board. Although the 'test-scores as a measurement' debate still rages, the additional focus on improvements is an important consideration). There are so many tools at our disposal and ways of thinking about the issue including both what paradigm shifts are necessary and what smaller scale structural changes can be implemented. There's a lot of work to be done.

Marcus - Google Wave Notifier

Marcus — Thu, 5 Nov 2009 23:27:44 +0000

Heya!

I'm loving google wave, and it seems that every time i'm on it. I find a cool way to use google wave. Other than collaboration. I use google wave to log journal entries of what i do and adding other people who are interested. This allows them to give real-time feedback to my situation. Which is great

Hope i get the promo code!

Eugene Gordin - [The Aggregate] Week of October 19th, 2009

Eugene Gordin — Mon, 2 Nov 2009 19:13:07 +0000

First off, thanks for commenting - the precise purpose of these posts is to inspire conversation among those that read them. Let me reply to your points in the order you made them: First of all, short of watching CSPAN (as our good friend Jyot does), there are little-to-no articles which are written without explicit slant and goal to them. That said, everyone reads (and in this case shares) the articles that resonate with them, regardless of slant. Second, your point about the reasons that politicians seek office is completely correct - its not about right or left - all politicians fight for reelection the minute they get into office. The article, if you look again, is making this very point - "No longer do politicians seek office as protectors of life, liberty and property -- they seek only to run the oppressive bureaucratic state more efficiently." It is stating that this is not a partisan problem but a problem with the system in general, and the point of the statement is that the author (and I), lament the current state of affairs where term limits have given way to the ego-stroking despotism of the career politician, on both sides of the aisle. Third, the poll, as with the article, is a matter of personal preference. As we all know, polling is about as reliable as the statistics they produce (just look at polling of likely voters vs registered voters, and you'll get more confused the more information you get). Your final point about the differences in the role of government is also completely correct - what exactly this role should be is the wedge which divides the conservative and the liberal. You state that the government should provide for A, B, and C. The problem is in that one word: should. In reality, when has the government efficiently done anything on this scale? The key is to look to history once again, and you'll see the government's track record. Social security - on its way to devastating bankruptcy. Medicare - on its way to bankruptcy. Education - consistently below average worldwide rankings. I mean even on a much smaller scale - take Cash for Clunkers - it cost the taxpayers $24,000 per car, and that's reported by the consistently 4th place (and White House favorite) CNN news. But unclenching the rusty fist of government from major elements of the economy (take then internet for example with the passage of the Scientific and Advanced Technology Act in 1992) allows the free market to work more efficiently. Therefore, what we need is the government to back off, permit interstate insurance markets, allow employer created health savings accounts, enact tort reform, etc. Even if we ignore the (historical) fact that large entitlement programs always bankrupt our economy, hurt the very people they're intended to help (look at LBJ's Great Society and its effects on the African American family), and burden our children with empty promises in exchange for some feel-good politics, we still have one of the best healthcare systems in the world. Where in the Constitution (or even the Declaration of Independence) does it say that healthcare is a fundamental right? Trying to redistribute anything (including healthcare) will result not in "the people with the least" getting healthcare but instead everyone getting some shoddy form of rationed medicine - take it from someone who is the product of a socialist country and whose parents don't hesitate to share the greatness of a system which provides its citizens nothing in exchange for all they have. And that's despite the fact that we don't even have enough doctors for everyone. So the solution is to lower wages for doctors? Lower Medicare and Medicaid payments? Your school loans are going to love that when you get out, and so are everyone else's. Would love to hear what you think!

Joe - [The Aggregate] Week of October 19th, 2009

Joe — Mon, 2 Nov 2009 15:37:11 +0000

The article "When Tyranny Calls" clearly has a very distinct slant and goal to it. However I feel that it especially misses the point in a number of areas: 1) I would argue that politicians in general, not just the far left, seek office, "only to run the oppressive bureaucratic state more efficiently". Candidates from both parties once elected immediately begin to try and figure out how to be re-elected. 2) I found the poll from Fox to be misleading at best. After only a very quick search I found, "Fifty percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Wednesday morning say they support the president's plans, with 45 percent opposed." Almost the exact opposite statistics that Fox sites. I guess my overall problem with the article comes down to a difference in philosophy of the role of government: I feel that government should be there to protect, insure, and if necessary, provide for the fundamental rights of its citizens. Versus a belief that the role of government should be to provide a framework for the free market to function. Leaving such important things, such as healthcare, to the free market however inevitably leads to the people with the least being further marginalized which we can see just by looking at the current system in place.

Eugene Gordin - Northeast Day One: Cambridge

Eugene Gordin — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:09:56 +0000

Yeah man we stopped there on the way back too (http://egord.in/day8). It was a fun trip, and way happy we got to see Becca and Joe!

Jyot - Northeast Day One: Cambridge

Jyot — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:04:15 +0000

J-E-A-lous. Glad you guys had a good time. I used to eat at Taylor Market every time I stopped in Midway Airport! That's funny.

Alla - Northeast Day Six: Bar Harbor

Alla — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:38:18 +0000

Zhenya! Thanks a lot for writing this journal! I start my morning by reading it and it makes my day.

Eugene Gordin - Meter Maid

Eugene Gordin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 03:07:47 +0000

Interesting point Joe, but the thing is, if you're going out then its unlikely that you care about any parking meters or timed parking. That is, of course, unless you're drinking during the day, in which case I'm guessing the time left on your meter is the last of your problems :P

Joe - Meter Maid

Joe — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:40:52 +0000

I have to say that I take issue with having a directions feature to find your car, especially if it is right after you went out for the night. An essential part of making sure that you are sober enough to drive home is being sober enough to find your car, without guidance. If you are too drunk to find your car, you are too drunk to drive.

Jyot - [The Aggregate] Week of September 7th, 2009

Jyot — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 21:04:23 +0000

I don't know how much time it sucks up for you, but I like them.

Joe - Vegetarian Nightmare: Behind the Counter at Buckhorn Grill

Joe — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 13:51:22 +0000

Was the really necessary? I already dont sleep well.

egordin - iPhoto '09: Tips and Tricks [Faces Edition]

egordin — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 19:22:40 +0000

Hi Cheryl! Welcome to the Mac world! Glad you liked the post. To answer your question - yes, it is possible to change the "key" photo for a person under in Faces. All you have to do is double click on that person in Faces, right click (or ctrl+click) on a confirmed photo of them, and then click " You can see the arrow pointing to that option in this screenshot. Hope that helps, and let me know if you have anymore questions, or suggestions for posts!

Cheryl Sewell - iPhoto '09: Tips and Tricks [Faces Edition]

Cheryl Sewell — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 18:49:41 +0000

Thanks for the info. I'm a new Mac user as well as iPhoto. On the Faces corkboard, is there any way to change the primary face that iPhoto chooses to show. I can isolate a face and arrow over several shots of that person. Sometimes there is a much better photo than the one Faces is showing, but I can't choose that one to be the "cover" shot. Any suggestions? Thanks, Cheryl

egordin - Time Machine vs. Super Duper

egordin — Sun, 5 Apr 2009 12:12:37 +0000

Thanks for the comment George! I agree - when not faced by a hard drive failure, its nice to be able to boot from the external to repair disk permissions and the like. Remember that you can also perform these kinds of Disk Utility functions by booting from the Mac OSX install disc, although for me my external is always easier to find.

George - Time Machine vs. Super Duper

George — Sun, 5 Apr 2009 12:05:58 +0000

Nice post. I'll stick with SuperDuper as well because it allows me to boot from my external to perform maintenance on my internal drive, for tasks that require exclusive access - for example repairing the directory and performing defrags.

Rafferty - Delete Unwanted Mp3s Not in Your iTunes Library

Rafferty — Sun, 1 Mar 2009 14:07:53 +0000

well said, finally a good report on this stuff

maurine - Delete Unwanted Mp3s Not in Your iTunes Library

maurine — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:20:30 +0000

very interesting, i never even considered how much space these kind of files are taking up. thanks for lookin out :)

Leon Banchik - Meet Penny

Leon Banchik — Tue, 6 Jan 2009 23:03:12 +0000

That is one amazing SUV! But check out the beautful massive piece of art behind Penny. (your sister just named her Belle)

akahn - Time Machine vs. Super Duper

akahn — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 08:48:26 +0000

Good post. I think I'll stick with Super Duper, which is better for my needs.