PRODUCTIVITY: Open Source Textbook Library

Monday, October 15, 2012

http://dp.la/2012/10/03/california-establishes-open-source-textbook-library-for-students/

California Establishes Open Source Textbook Library for Students
Posted by Carly Boxer on October 3, 2012 in Blog, Featured.

*** begin quote ***

This past Thursday, September 27th, the California State Senate approved two bills aimed at increasing access to and decreasing the financial burden of textbooks for students at California state postsecondary institutions.

The first bill, SB 1052, mandates the creation of 50 digital open source textbooks. In order to do so, SB 1052 establishes the 9 member California Open Education Resources Council; this council is responsible for identifying the 50 lower-division courses at California state universities and community colleges for which low-cost, open source textbooks will be developed. The council, comprised of faculty representatives from University of California, California State University, and California Community Colleges, would also establish a “competitive request-for-proposal process in which faculty members, publishers, and other interested parties would apply for funds” in order to produce textbook content.

*** end quote ***

Excuse me, but aren’t all those faculty members on the public payroll already?

If the Gooferment Skrules are an “education factory”, should the “educators” produce their own textbooks.

Programmers write documentation.

Executives write reports.

Scientists publish papers.

Why the difference?

# – # – # – # – #   

Leave a Comment » | Productivity | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

FUN: Maxine’s bird feeder

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Now Luddite’s wife is spamming me with these inet memes. This one hit the mark. Pretty funny. (I have high standards for my blog. Has to have that “me facing life quality”. I chuckled and thought: “How many hearts and minds can I influence?”

“Bravo Zulu” to Luddite’s wife.

# – # – # – # – #   

 

 Leave it to Maxine to come up with a solution
For the mess that America is now in economically.



2012 10 13 maxine


I bought a bird feeder. I hung It on my back porch and filled
It with seed. What a beauty of A bird feeder it was, as I filled it,
Lovingly with seed. Within a week we had hundreds of birds
Taking advantage of the
Continuous flow of free and
Easily accessible food.

But then the birds started
Building nests in the boards
Of the patio, above the table,
And next to the barbecue.

Then came the poop. It was
Everywhere: on the patio tile,
The chairs, the table ..
Everywhere!

Then some of the birds
Turned mean. They would
Dive bomb me and try to
Peck me even though I had
Fed them out of my own
Pocket.

And others birds were
Boisterous and loud. They
Sat on the feeder and
Squawked and screamed at
All hours of the day and night
And demanded that I fill it
When it got low on food.

After a while, I couldn’t even
Sit on my own back porch
Anymore. So I took down the
Bird feeder and in three days
The birds were gone. I cleaned
Up their mess and took down
The many nests they had built
All over the patio.

Soon, the back yard was like
It used to be ….. Quiet, serene….
And no one demanding their
Rights to a free meal.

Now let’s see.
Our government gives out
Free food, subsidized housing,
Free medical care and free
Education, and allows anyone
Born here to be an automatic
Citizen.

Then the illegal’s came by the
Tens of thousands. Suddenly
Our taxes went up to pay for
Free services; small apartments
Are housing 5 families; you
Have to wait 6 hours to be seen
By an emergency room doctor;
Your child’s second grade class is
Behind other schools because
Over half the class doesn’t speak
English.

Corn Flakes now come in a
Bilingual box; I have to
‘press one ‘ to hear my bank
Talk to me in English, and
People waving flags other
Than ‘Old Glory’ are
Squawking and screaming
In the streets, demanding
More rights and free liberties.

Just my opinion, but maybe
it’s time for the government
To take down the bird feeder.

If you agree, pass it on; if not,
Just continue cleaning up the poop
and still paying for it all with no return benefits..

   



—
IN GOD WE TRUST

# – # – #  

Many a true word is said in a joke. I thought this was funny and “actionable”.

# – # – # – # – #   

Leave a Comment » | FUN | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

You just unlocked the Far Far Away badge! Hooray!

Sunday, October 14, 2012
header.jpg
Congrats! Your recent check-in at Unicorn Tapestry Room just unlocked the Far Far Away badge!
farfaraway.png Welcome to the world above 59th Street!
To see all the badges you’ve unlocked so far, click here:
https://foursquare.com/jasperjottings/badge/507ad781e4b0347053ba4f73

Great work. Keep it up!
– Your friends @ foursquare
foursquare labs, Inc. 568 Broadway, New York, NY 10012

This message was sent to Please remember you can always go to your User Settings page to adjust your account and contact info, privacy controls, email preferences and options linking to Twitter and Facebook.

4sq.pixel.png?t=e&id=eb-507ad781e4b0347053ba4f73&sig=aeF39LaylZR12MIDidl4lDpnh30%3D

Leave a Comment » | ADMINISTRIVIA | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

POLITICAL: Politicians only show the “good”; never the “harm” they do

Sunday, October 14, 2012

http://cafehayek.com/2012/10/threadbare-economics.html

Threadbare Economics

by DON BOUDREAUX on OCTOBER 11, 2012

in POLITICS, SEEN AND UNSEEN, TRADE

*** begin quote ***

This administration policy will win votes for the President from some textile workers in the Carolinas. And Mr. Sanchez and his big boss can now bask self-righteously in their imagined humanity.

But will Mr. Sanchez pose for pictures with poor families whose living standards fall because clothing is now made more costly? Will the administration stage press events to highlight the jobs lost because American consumers, obliged to spend more on clothing, will have less to spend on restaurant meals, evenings at the movies, and other goods and services? Will the President post photos on his website of Americans whose jobs are destroyed because foreigners will now have fewer dollars to spend and invest in the U.S.? Will Mr. Obama boast that his re-election strategy includes a policy that, by dulling the creative forces of competition, diminishes America’s economic dynamism and, hence, reduces its economic growth?

*** end quote ***

It’s our old friend Bastiat and those unseen unintended consequences!

Nasty old “rule”.  “Every time a politician says or does something, look for what’s behind the curtain.”

It’s like when the increased minimum wage law induced AT&T to automate the elevator operators out of their jobs. Some were capable of other work, but many were just let go. My cousin never worked again in her life. True she wasn’t the sharpest blade in the draw, but she was the unseen side of that increase in the minimum wage law.

So don’t tell me that real people are not hurt when the politicians run amok!

–30–

Leave a Comment » | Political | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

FUN: Luddite submits a “gas” joke!

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Every once in a while, Luddite comes up with a good one!!!

LUDDITE GAS PRICES

 

Yeah, and there’s no inflation!

# – # – # – # – #   

Leave a Comment » | FUN | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

INTERESTING: Titanic’s Biggest Question

Saturday, October 13, 2012

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/mythbusters-answers-titanics-biggest-question-could-jack-and-rose-both-have-survived-on-that-board/

Entertainment
MythBusters Answers Titanic’s Biggest Question: Could Jack and Rose Both Have Survived on That Board?

Posted on October 10, 2012 at 1:06pm by Liz Klimas

*** begin quote ***

It’s something every teenage girl at the end of the 1990s seeing Titanic for the fifth time was thinking: Leo DiCaprio so could have fit on that wooden board instead of freezing in the water and dying. Now the popular show MythBusters has finally taken the time to weigh in on the topic with its expert reenactment skills.

*** end quote ***

When I first saw the movie, I annoyed folks with that theory.

Maybe the board should have been smaller to quiet know it alls.

I think that shows like this just might induce people and children think.

One can only hope.

# – # – # – # – #  2012-Oct-10 @ 19:23  

Leave a Comment » | INTERESTING | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

HARDWARE: Cox Cable Yankee game on IPAD

Friday, October 12, 2012

Watching the Yankee game live on Cox Cable. I have the cox app on the IPAD3. Interesting that the IPAD feed is at least a full minute behind the TV.

Go figure?

Hmm, “past posting” comes to mind.

LOL!

–30–

Leave a Comment » | HARDWARE | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

FUN: Wonder how many authors there are? 4691!

Friday, October 12, 2012

 

Dear ferdinand j. reinke,

  

Today we have added a new feature, Amazon Author Rank,

the definitive list of best-selling authors on Amazon.com. This list makes it easy for readers to discover the best-selling authors on Amazon.com overall and within a selection of major genres.

Your Amazon Author Rank:

4691 in Science Fiction

Amazon Author Rank is your rank based on the sales of all of your books on Amazon.com. Just like Amazon Best Sellers, it is updated hourly. The top 100 authors overall and the top 100 in selected genres will be displayed on Amazon.com. You can see your Amazon Author Rank trended over time inAuthor Central.

You can find your Amazon Author Rank in Author Central under the Rank tab. Historical rank data is available from September 28, 2012.

We’re always interested in feedback, so please let us know what you think.

The Author Central Team

https://authorcentral.amazon.com

P.S. You may have friends who are authors; feel free to pass this email along to them.

Amazon Author Rank is a feature available to all authors registered in Author Central.

  

Leave a Comment » | FUN | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

MONEY: Governments have always robbed their subjects by debasing the currency

Thursday, October 11, 2012

http://dailyreckoning.com/paper-money-despotism

Paper Money = Despotism
By Wendy McElroy | 10/08/12

*** begin quote ***

In his invaluable book What Has Government Done to Our Money? the Austrian economist Murray Rothbard addresses the strange reluctance to consider private currencies, “Many people, many economists, usually devoted to the free market, stop short at money. Money, they insist, is different; it must be supplied by government and regulated by government.” (Note: Technically, the currency is generated through a banking cartel with government support.)

History frowns upon that theory. Before the United States Mint issued its first coin in 1793, the 13 colonies were awash with an assortment of currencies that included both private and government-issued ones. Current fiscal reality also frowns on this. Privatizing zealot Martin Durkin calls the idea of government guaranteeing the quality of money “the sickest joke in economic history. Governments have always robbed their subjects by debasing the currency, but this abuse, in recent years, has burst all bounds of decency and sanity.”

*** end quote ***

Had a similar conversation this weekend with Luddite.

We were talking about “secession”.

Among the challenges that came up was “money”.

A State, that secedes, would want to abandon the “Federal Reserve Note”. If it was smart, it would use what ever the free market dictated and allow it all to float. 

Second best would be to demand gold and silver in what it collects and what it pays.

Luddite was stunned that folks might have to change money.

LOL!

Guess he’s never traveled internationally that much.

If the seceding State used gold or silver, I’d want some of that. Rather than the trash we have now.

# – # – # – # – #   

 

 

Leave a Comment » | MONEY | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

INSPIRATIONAL: Cells can be reprogrammed

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

News Alert
from The Wall Street Journal

British researcher John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka of Japan have won this year’s Nobel Prize in medicine or physiology.

The prize committee at Stockholm’s Karolinska Institute said the two researchers won the award for their discovery that mature, specialized cells can be reprogrammed to become immature cells capable of developing into all tissues of the body.

Their findings had revolutionized understanding of how cells and organisms develop, the Nobel committee said.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444897304578043961363646792.html?mod=djemalertNEWS

# – # – #  

There is SO much we DON’T know versus what we DO know!

It’s stunning!

This could be a break thru for sick people worldwide.

# – # – # – # – #   

Leave a Comment » | INSPIRATIONAL | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »