Mar 13

Weekend Reading: Blasted Daylight Savings Edition

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Welcome to the weekend, ProfHackers! I don’t know about the rest of you, but it seems to me like every year, adjusting to Daylight Savings is more difficult. But we’ve made it through the week, and some of us are enjoying Spring Break or have started to count down the days.

If the news about Sweet Briar wasn’t disturbing enough last week, The Atlantic published an article about “The Unfortunate Fate of Sweet Briar’s Professors” Spoiler alert: “Unfortunate” is an understatement. Meanwhile, Inside Higher Ed asks, “Who’s Next? Who Isn’t?” and”Closing With Grace.”

Chronicle Vitae explores “Detenure and Its Discontents.”

In entertainment news, Variety reports that a Los Angeles jury ordered Robin Thicke and Pharrell to pay Marvin Gaye’s family $7.3 million for copyright infringement. The New Yorker‘s Tim Wu argues that the verdict should be thrown out.

From Medium: “How Netflix Broke the Unbreakable Spoiler Alert (And How To Fix It).”

From The Atlantic: ”The Dark Power of Fraternities.”

From Janet Napolitano, president of the University of California and former Secretary of Homeland Security, “Higher Education isn’t in crisis” (a book review of two recent publications which claim otherwise).

Finally, from Chronicle Vitae, “Losing My Affiliation,” Katie Guest Rose Pryor on the swift shift from an affiliated (unpaid) leave of absence to the life of a freelance academic.

And because the phrase, “losing my” always ends in R.E.M. for me, our video of the week this time around does too:

[Creative Commons licensed post by Flickr user Kevin Jones]

Mar 06

Weekend Reading: In Like a Lion Edition

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Welcome to the weekend, ProfHackers.

The higher ed landscape was rocked this week with the news of the imminent closure of Sweet Briar College. Inside Higher Ed broke the news on Tuesday afternoon. In the aftermath of the announcement, many questions are being asked. The Christian Science Monitor asks, “Are Women’s Colleges Still Relevant?” (Disclosure, I teach at a women’s college, so for me the answer is a resounding YES). Bloomberg View asserts that Sweet Briar is closing “the right way.” Inside Higher ed tries to explain where the endowment will go. A crowd-funding effort to save the college is underway. Our own Chronicle  suggests “Sweet Briar’s Demise is a Cautionary Tale for Small Colleges. In a more dramatic fashion,, Bloomberg Business claims, “Small U.S. Colleges Battle Death Spiral as Enrollment Drops.”

A powerful take on #thedress.

On a happier note, according to journalist Connor Sheets, “Harper Lee appears to be fully lucid.”

Have you tried the newest Starbucks concoction, the Flat White?  Did you know that there’s a great deal of discussion about what exactly the Flat White is and what it should be?

What about Popcorn Time, a site which Quartz has claimed to be “the most fascinating story on the internet at the moment” and “Netflix for pirates”? Bloomberg has proclaimed, “This torrenting app is too good to be legal.” In a nutshell, Popcorn Time is a controversial app based out of the Netherlands that allows users to watch video for free via bit torrent technology.

If you have ever wondering about the life of a literary agent, this Guernica interview with Chris Parris-Lamb is worth your time.

From the Chronicle, “The Benefit of No-Tech Note-Taking.” (Since when are pen and paper not technology? They aren’t cutting edge technology, granted, at least my Pilor G-2s and legals pads aren’t the latest and greatest, but technology they still are . . .)

A collection of random, cool things from the internet site MessyNessyChic.

Finally, this weekend is Daylight-Savings time for many of our readers. Here are some tips from WEB MD to ease the effects of springing forward 

Our video of the week is inspired, in a way, by the ransom cool things post: a skating boarding tortoise:

[Creative Commons licensed image by Flickr user Michael Bentley].

Feb 27

Weekend Reading: #thedress edition

Happy Friday ProfHackers! The above picture not The Dress, but it is A dress, and I couldn’t resist the shot. If you haven’t seen the dress, click the previous link. Or go to Facebook. Or Twitter. Or pretty much anywhere else online. And then, if you care why no one can agree on the colors, check out this piece on Wired. The Atlantic posted a piece that uses #thedress as a stepping stone to think about attention policing.

And in case you missed it, there was llama drama in AZ. The Twittersphere had a great deal of fun with the great llama chase of 2015.

In Wisconsin, not only does Gov. Scott Walker want to cut $300 million from the University of Wisconsin system, he also wants to eliminate the language that requires universities to report sexual assaults on campus to the Dept. of Justice. According to the Huffington Post, however, bipartisan group of senators, recently introduced a bill that would increase the federal government’s ability to penalize universities and colleges who mishandle sexual assault. He also equated WI protestors to members of ISIS.

On a happier note, meet best friends Dolly and Sheldon. Dolly is a pit bull and Sheldon is a tortoise.

And the FCC approved Net Neutrality. Engadget explores what this might mean for creativity and innovation as well as some potential opposition (still) to the ruling. Technology Review raises five loopholes (or possible loopholes).

Ian Bogost announced the demise of the Big Mac (not really).

Gelato. Mmmm. Gelato (Thanks LA Times).

Rest in peace, Leonard Nimoy. “A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP” (Leonard Nimoy’s final tweet). Our video of the week is an interview that Nimpy did with Pharell for ARTST TLK:

 

 

[Creative Commons licensed image by Flickr user Lisa Risager]

Feb 20

Weekend Reading: Deep Freeze Edition

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Where ever you are, ProfHackers, we hope you are staying warm! Record snow and cold temperatures have blanketed much of the U.S. Boston, as fellow ProfHacker Ryan Cordell can attest, is having a “Winter From Hell.” And yet, it could be worse: we could be in eastern Canada, where the snow is high enough in places to bury cars and houses completely.

Oklahoma state legislators are currently considering a bill that would bar state funds from being used for Advanced Placement History courses. According to Newsweek, Oklahoma teachers aren’t too happy about the prospect.

Speaking of schools, apparently some are implementing mass shooting simulations.

Salon, in a piece that is not news to the majority of us, exposes “America’s visiting professor scam.”

This piece on authors’ relationship to social media by Matt Kirschenbaum has been making the rounds for a couple weeks now, but in case you hadn’t already seen it, check out “What is an @uthor?”

Writing while Feminist can exact a steep price, according to The Washington Post.

But Today.com posted a nice follow-up to the story about Rowan Hansen, the 11 year-old whose letter to DC Comics questioning why there weren’t more female superheroes, more merchandise for the existing female characters, and why if DC can make a movie about a Talking tree and a raccoon, there’s no Wonder Woman film. And here’s the video of the segment.

Our video of the week is from BBC1. Did you know that hummingbirds snore?

[Creative Commons licensed image by Flickr user ozz13x]

Feb 13

Weekend Reading: Be My Valentine Edition

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Happy Valentine’s Day, ProfHackers! If you are haven’t gotten flowers yet for that someone special, Time gives us “5 Things to Know About Buying Flowers on Valentine’s Day.”

For the cynics among us, “6 Totally Unromantic Truths About Valentine’s Day Spending.” Here’s a hint: if you wait until February 15, you can buy those conversation hearts for half price.

If you are looking for a movie to watch: 9 Movies on Netflix to Match Your Valentine’s Day Mood. In addition to the list, you might consider Once  (for the romantics), Gone Girl (for the most cynical among us)

Maybe skip the chocolate this year? Or at least cut back a little–”Something else in that box of chocolate: Heavy Metal.”

Love letters are a dying art. In an attempt to revive them, The Atlantic offers A Modern Guide to the Love Letter. Or, check out  New York Times “Modern Love” on How We Write About Love.

Also from The New York Times: “To Fall in Love with Anyone, Do This.”

In a slightly different vein, our friend at Hook & Eye, Erin Wunkler, posted this piece, which might be a kind of Valentine for contingent faculty: “Dear Contract Academic Faculty.”

On public shaming and social media: “How One Stupid Tweet Blew Up Justine Sacco’s Life.” The more I think about it, the more I think that this piece should be a prerequisite for everyone with a social media presence.

We mentioned Scott Walker’s assault on the UW system last week, and the story has only gathered momentum since then. The New York Times explains, “Walker’s Wisconsin Budget Has National Message” while Salon features a take-down of Walker’s message by Wisconsin Teacher of the Year Claudia Klein Felske, who was also one of Walker’s classmates at Marquette.

And lest you think that it’s only Wisconsin where higher education is under siege, think again: “Louisiana higher education officials talk about potential cuts to colleges and universities.” And state officials in South Carolina are currently debating whether or not to close SC State for a year, fire all of its faculty and staff, and transfer its students with a 2.5 or higher GPA to other state schools. The Huffington Post was one of many sources to report the story originally. More recently, two members of the SC House of Representatives have written a bill that would keep the school open but fire its President and Board of Trustees.

Our video today comes from Simon’s Cat:

[Creative Commons licensed image by Flickr user LadyDragonflyCC]

Feb 06

Weekend Reading: Groundhog Edition

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Happy Friday ProfHackers!  earlier this week, Punxsutawny Phil saw his shadow, thus predicting another six weeks of winter (to be clear, that’s not usually the answer we want–if he doesn’t see his shadow because it is overcast that day, winter will end sooner).

Phil’s prediction wasn’t the only bad news this week. Faculty and staff in the University of Wisconsin system are reeling from Governor Scott Walker’s announcement of a $300 million budget cut, despite efforts to the contrary. Not only that, but in addition to slashed budgets, Walker also told faculty that they needed to work harder (to which one faculty member in Maine, who also happens to be a UW alumna, has offered a salient rebuttal). The cuts will likely hit the regional campuses especially hard and have already resulted in hiring freezes according to sources at UW Oshkosh. NBC News reports on the national attention the proposal is getting as Walker begins his presidential bid.

And it’s not just Wisconsin getting hit with budget difficulties this week. The Baltimore Sun reports that the University of Maryland is considering a midyear tuition hike and has implemented furloughs for campus employees. And late last night, Kansas announced that it might be getting in on the action as well.

In other news, it was announced this week that Harper Lee would be publishing a second novel at long last. The announcement was met with both glee and controversy as some worried that the elderly Lee was being taken advantage of by her publisher and/or her lawyer. Vulture published an interview with Lee’s editor, who claimed to only have learned of the book’s existence days ago and to not have been in communication with Lee. The Toast raises more questions about the book and its author. Lee herself issued a statement Thursday night “expressing happiness about the publication of a new novel” according to the New York Times. The Wall Street Journal reports that Lee has said she “is alive and kicking and happy as hell with the reactions of Watchmen.” 

DC Comics also made an announcement that may generate some excitement in the publishing world: a new all-female Avengers team. This announcement comes on the heels of the campaign started by an 11 year old girl’s letter to DC Comics asking for more girls in their comics, not only in print but also in the film/TV adaptations and merchandising.

A ProfHacker hat tip to Wendy Belcher for sharing this article from WIRED about the way that we now get our news via social media and the effects that new media, particularly outlets such as BuzzFeed, is having on journalism, information, and those who consume it. To some, this phenomenon is known as clickbait, which according to The Atlantic, is “everywhere.”

Our video this week is a bit of levity from Jimmy Fallon: a reunion of the cast of Saved By The Bell

[Creative Commons licensed image by Flickr user Matt MacGillivray.]

Dec 17

Closing the Book: an Update (A Good One)

970316241_58b3713360_zMy 2nd marathon was supposed to have been this past Saturday, but instead of celebrating the conclusion of a 20 week training cycle with a race, I “celebrated” the end of those 20 weeks with another doctor’s appointment yesterday morning. My 6th (with the orthopedist–this does not include the annual visits to the gynocologist, the dermatologist, the flu shot clinic, or my personal favorite, the mammogram). Not that I am counting.

The verdict: I’m good. Or at least the stress fracture site is “out of danger” though it will still continue to heal for several months. I’ll likely be in various degrees of discomfort as I continue to build back my mileage, but the doctor said that’s pretty typical and not something I should freak out about as long as it’s discomfort and not sharp or severe pain. I’ve gotten pretty good at telling the difference of late. The bunion is just something that I’m going to have to manage as best I can until I can’t any more (hello, YogaToes!). But I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. The x-ray showed good bone regeneration, etc. The best news of the day: the April marathon is still on the table.

In other words, Paris: I’m (still) coming for you.

BUT

My goals for Paris are this:

Make it to the starting line healthy.

Finish healthy.

I am not going for a specific time beyond the 5:40 cut-off. My speed will come back when it comes back (or it won’t, I suppose), but this training cycle is all about building the miles with as much common sense and body awareness as I can muster. I’ve been running (or run/walking) for 5 weeks now, and I’m up to a 5K. I have many miles to go before I sleep, this I know, and some of them will be on an elliptical or in the pool. That’s okay. I am really happy to have the ability to try. This one is not about speed or a BQ. It’s about appreciating the effort and the journey and doing my best to celebrate every single step whether I run, walk, or crawl. (Is it still a step if it’s crawled? Hmm). I’ll stop before this turns into a Hallmark card or motivational poster.

I won’t be leaving the pool behind, at least not entirely. I have gained an appreciation for that solid black line over the last several weeks. All in all, I spent 100 hours in the pool since mid-August. Some of it swimming laps, some of it aqua jogging, which never did get very exciting even with the savior that is my waterproof iPod. I also developed a full-on addiction to audiobooks, which I may or may not carry into the running as I progress.

So that’s where I am. It’s been a very difficult fall, and I am really glad to finish it out and start a new chapter. Thank you all for the support and the patience along the way.

[Creative Commons licensed image by Flickr user runner310]

Nov 24

Gear Review: UnderwaterAudio Swimbuds Sport Waterproof Headphones

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Several weeks ago, I reviewed the Underwater Audio Waterproof iPod, which I came upon over the course of several weeks of pool time thanks to a metatarsal stress fracture. The waterproof iPod may not have saved my life, but it has definitely saved my sanity, such as it is, over the course of hours of pool running, which if you haven’t had the pleasure, is great exercise, but is also as exciting as watching paint dry.

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by UnderwaterAudio (UA) and asked if I would be interested in checking out their new waterproof headphones (disclaimer: UnderwaterAudio provided me a pair of the beta model for review free of charge). The Swimbud Sport launched last week and offers a wide array of options so that you can find the best possible fit. I’ve taken a few photographs of the different earbud attachments.

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My favorite, by far, are the blue ones, though it took me a little while to get the right fit–once they were in place, they are magically comfortable and provide terrific sound quality. Bear in mind that wearing any earphones while swimming is going to be different from wearing them on dry land as far as the sound is concerned–there is competition from things like air bubbles. The tree-shaped ones provide a slightly better seal, but they were not nearly so comfortable for me. They go pretty far into the ear canal, and protrude out under my swim cap, which after about 40 minutes started to get very uncomfortable. The blue fins still protrude but less so. It’s very easy to switch the attachments, so you can change them out as needed for different activities. UA recommends the trees for swimming, the blue fins for other water sports, the clear ones (which come in 4 different sizes as you can see) for running or biking since they allow you to hear ambient noise from traffic vehicular or pedestrian, and finally the mushrooms for general wear.

One of the other signature features of the UA swim buds is the short cord, as you can see in the photos above. The cord measures 1.3 feet from end to end. This is ideal for clipping the iPod to your goggle strap. It also might work for women who wish to attach to the top of a swimsuit strap; I found it not quite long enough, but I didn’t spend much time fiddling with this–I just went back to the goggle strap, which worked well, even during flip-turns. If you don’t want to attach to your goggles, however, UA also includes a 3.25 (1m) cord extension that makes these headphones more broadly useful–you might use them to run in the rain, for example, or to paddle board, surf, etc.

My trouble with the first pair of UA earbuds was less due to the attachments, though there were fewer options and they were less comfortable. Instead, it was the wires, or rather one wire, which basically disintegrated after about 2 weeks. To their credit, the UA customer service team responded to my email in just a couple hours dropped a new pair in the mail the same day that I contacted them, even though that day was a Saturday, and I had my replacements in no time. The new Swimbuds Sport come with a 1 yr warranty just in case.

The new headphones seem to be higher quality all around. They sound great, and the different attachments mean that they’ll appeal to a more diverse audience–not only will they fit into lots of different ears both large and small, men and women, pierced and unadorned, but they’re more widely adaptable for different activities. Sometimes you might not want a lot of noise isolation, if, for example, you are using them to run and want to hear what’s going on around you. Other times, such as while swimming laps in a pool, noise isolation and a tighter seal is more desirable. The kit comes in a cool black mesh pouch, which allows air circulation but also means that you can carry the different attachments in your gym bag. It also cuts down on packaging waste, which I appreciate.

The UA website offers the Swimbuds Sport alone ($70) or bundled with their signature waterproof iPod Shuffle ($175) You can also find them at Amazon. These Swimbuds are not cheap, but so far, I am happy with them and consider them worth the price. Comfort and sound quality make these worth checking out, or they might be a great suggestion for the swimmer on your Christmas list (with the iPod, of course!). Previously, I would carry two pairs of earbuds to the gym: one for the pool and one for everything else. I don’t feel the need to do that now. The blue fins are comfortable enough to keep wearing.

[Creative Commons licensed image by Flickr user Ian Barbour; All headphone images taken by the author].

Nov 14

Weekend Reading: Winter’s Come Early Edition

By Erin E. Templeton

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Happy Friday, ProfHackers! We hope that where ever you are, you are staying warm as much of the United States is grappling with unseasonable cold and snow.

For your weekend reading, you might be interested in the resolution that Hachette and Amazon reached this week. The conflict began …read more

Oct 31

Weekend Reading: Trick or Treat Edition

By Erin E. Templeton

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Happy Halloween ProfHackers! We hope that your day is full of treats and light on tricks.

For your weekend reading:

Apparently, Craigslist is not just for hook-ups and used furniture anymore. The Atlantic reports that people are also using it to list cemetery plots: “Shopping for Secondhand Graves on Craigslist.” …read more