Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Thing 3 - Who is Blogging Whom - iii

Not only is there a blog on every imaginable topic, there is a blog that fits every possible adjective. In the limited time I have spent on this assignment, I have easily found those that are brief or wordy, technical or fluffy, educational or entertaining, consistent or varied......Shall I go on?

Take the blog by Skydaddy. I began with the suggested http://sddc.blogspot.com/2009/02/upside-down-pop-quiz.html. I loved the philosphy of teaching students to read and comprehend versus rote memorizaiton. So I chose to explore the blog further and found a large spectrum of topics including
http://sddc.blogspot.com/2009/12/musing-on-mathematics-and-existence-of.html. And this is just what it seems, a very technical discussion of a single mathematical expression.

Is there a connection between these two posts? Nothing specific that I could find. But what I've learned is that is doesn't really matter. A blog can be a single rant, a place to voice an opinion and gather comments, a rambling, or whatever I want it to be.

So what should be expected here in Mei Astrum Candidus? Look for the hidden connection that leads you to my star.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Web 2.0 - ii

What was the world like before the internet? I remember buying a book in the early eighties that gave a description of what was meant by the information superhighway. Although at the time, I thought I "got it," I surely didn't.

Did anyone at that time envision the connectivity that we experience today? Not just somewhere we can look for information, but places to share our words, our thoughts and our lives. Twenty years ago I never could have imagined that the most common connections I would have with my granddaughters would occur on something known as Facebook. I know more about the day-to-day activities of my family now, than I ever have in the past. And yes, this is good and bad. Sometimes, it is simply TMI.

And what about Farmville? I hear that statistically there are more people harvesting crops in this make-believe world than there are in real life. Does this make any sense? It is easy for me to be skeptical on the subject because I have never allowed myself to try it. (I am sure that puts me in a minority.) I am afraid if I do I may become a fanatic, as many of my friends seem to be. For the moment, I am just concentrating on real-life problems and leaving the cyberspace farming to others.

Perhaps when we can cultivate crops on my star, I will reconsider.

In the Beginning - i

I've wanted to write a blog. I was inspired by Julie and Julia. That's right, a movie! So this is a test of my ability to be committed to the project and a stretch of my literary abilities. I am prone to prefer numbers over words, and this will keep me planted firmly outside my "box."

To begin, let me explain.......

Mei Astrum Candidus is Latin for My Shining Star. The origin to my attachment to this phrase remains clouded in my past. As my comfort level with blogging increases, I may be willing let more sun shine on the topic. For the moment at hand, know that I am simply using it as my inspiration to keep myself looking beyond the mundane things of this earth, and out into the beauty of space.