Monday, March 14, 2011

Appropriate Energy Lab

"Any electrical engineer who was educated before 1999 thinks renewable energy is a cute bit-player, on the side" ... but every place that takes renewable energy seriously finds that it is very easy and cost effective to invest and develop. "The (electric) GRID should be the 'EBAY' where you buy and sell power. Almost every incentive we have is for dirty power. The 'California Energy Crisis', 2001, was all about benefiting dirty power over renewable alternatives, and finding that we had a mess as a result." - Daniel Kammen, Director of UC Berkley Renewable and Appropriate Energy Lab - Renewable Energy and Economies of Scale 2006
From FORA.tv

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Republicans Try To Destroy Net-Neutrality, again...

US House of Representatives subcommittee has voted in favor of a resolution to throw out the US Federal Communications Commission's recently adopted net neutrality rules. The communications
subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 15-8 along party lines for a resolution of disapproval that would overturn the FCC's rules. The resolution would also prohibit the FCC from re-attempting to create similar net neutrality rules.  Read More...

Solutions: Salman Khan

I don't do this often, but this is a special case. When someone states the obvious truth, it cuts across all lines, and I must post it everywhere.
"If Issac Newton had done calculus videos on YouTube, I wouldn't have to. (assuming he was any good) - Salman Khan"
Why do good students fail in our public schools?
FLIP THE CLASSROOM!

Traditional Classroom Model penalizes you for experimentation and failure, "DO YOU UNDERSTAND THIS?". Kids COMPETE with each other, but does not expect mastery.
Assign the lectures as homework, and do the homework in the classroom.
Pause, work at your own pace. Stay on that bicycle, experiment, failure is OK. Reward success, don't penalize failure. Allow students to COOPERATE, and you will see that your 'slow' students are just as smart as the 'gifted' kids.
But expect mastery.

Watch this video twice.
Build a Global, One World Classroom.

Monday, March 7, 2011

The Doha Debates: This House believes the world is better off with Wikil...


Ever wonder why is it that Brits are willing to debate and Americans are not?
If Governments told the truth we would not need WikiLeaks.
Anyone who has secrets is doing something wrong. Truth is never wrong. What you do when no one is looking is the measure of your character. Let's debate that.