Bogus Essay Answers and Random Nonsense
Hey folks. I've been very nearly silent lately, in part because I've been busy, and in part because I spent so much time writing a few weeks ago. I'm still trying to get on kilter and establish a regular schedule here - a few more projects remain before I'll really be able to do that without equivocation. I've grabbed a large number of links lately that need to be posted (or else they'll just have to be filed into my already massive list of unposted links), so I'll try to post some of them on Monday - or Tuesday, actually, because I have an article due Sunday for my parallel writing endeavour, and that will be posted Monday.
I'm going to keep this post light, and a lot of it is going to be a continuation of one of my favorite periodic features here at TSTF: history exam essay mistakes, provided by my friend Dave. Dave is a PhD candidate in classics and medieval history at a major midwestern university. Here goes!
The significance of those (and Dave knows this) is that a lot of my own research has revolved around the works of Gaius Cornelius Tacitus, one of the most respected historians in imperial Rome. Keep reading.
The Hunnic Empire? Brilliant! This next bit has nothing to do with daft college students, and everything to do with my legendary boycott of Christmas.
It's really a funny clip, and makes some great points about traditions from a number of holidays (a few of which are addressed by education about the origin of the traditions - particularly for Christmas and Easter). This next exchange demonstrates just how little attention the poor student paid in class.
For those of you who aren't Roman history buffs, Dave was particularly generous. Constantine's single most important contribution to history was his tolerance of Christianity. This will be discussed more below - after this second reference to Tacitus.
Very nice. And now, the continuation of the discussion of Constantine.
Obviously, Dave and I have a very stable friendship and a very secure professional relationship: I bust him in the chops, and he folds like a cheap card table. This next one is priceless!
An entire blog post, indeed!
* * *
A couple of random things.
I think I've mentioned her before, but I originally saw Stephanie Schneiderman a few years ago, and I remain on her mailing list. Stephanie, who's had mostly local/regional exposure in Portland, Oregon, also performs with a girl group called Dirty Martini. They did an in-studio podcast with a Portland radio station, and not only do I want to link to it, but I want to test my tech skills. So here we go.
UPDATE: It worked! Sweet!
I'm also curious about whether or not direct links on Wikimapia work, so I'm posting a link of site that I was able to track down in Dublin - a very important site, really. Originally I'd found a site that was part of my life back at Zoo Station, but I decided to upgrade my search parameters. Behold, Mecca's Rival.
The other thing that I intend to work on, and already did some exploration for, is a project that I worked on when I was in high school - in fact, this was a solid decade ago. When I was in high school, I was a regular user of IRC, and did some very basic edits to some of the files on mIRC. As part of my continuing "drinking from the firehose" education in technology updates since I was in high school (which will eventually include learning how to work with RSS feeds), my hope is to do some new edits to some of those same files in mIRC - at least to the point of being as capable of editing as I was as a high school sophomore in 1997/'98. It's not complex or difficult, but every little bit of understanding on this stuff helps.
It's interesting that this renewed interest in editing mIRC has come up at this stage of my life, given the level of interest I now have in Middle Eastern politics. mIRC was written by Khaled Mardam-Bey, who is half-Syrian, half-"Palestinian", but who's lived most of his life in the United Kingdom. The success of mIRC, which Khaled wrote when he was a Master's candidate in Cognitive Intelligence. Unfortunately, as much as I may respect him as a software developer, I think that his ideas about the situation in the Levant are remarkably myopic.
On the topic of technical stuff, you folks (especially those of you who are bored at work) may enjoy The Game of Life, a pseudo-AI game developed by some dude who had way too much time on his hands.
* * *
I really want to post more, but my need to get to bed at a decent time exceeds my want to do more typing (while being distracted by instant messages and stuff going on on Facebook). Have a great weekend, folks - there are stories brewing that will keep you entertained throughout next week!
I'm going to keep this post light, and a lot of it is going to be a continuation of one of my favorite periodic features here at TSTF: history exam essay mistakes, provided by my friend Dave. Dave is a PhD candidate in classics and medieval history at a major midwestern university. Here goes!
Friar Dave: apparently (so a student tells me) Tacitus describes some part of germanic culture as "unorthodox"
Friar Dave: and also tacitus describes the german people "as savage pagans who do not belong in the german empire."
The significance of those (and Dave knows this) is that a lot of my own research has revolved around the works of Gaius Cornelius Tacitus, one of the most respected historians in imperial Rome. Keep reading.
Friar Dave: "the Huns were a Germanic tribe from the Hunnic empire led by Attilla the Hun"
The Fly: Hunnic empire! Ha!
Friar Dave: let alone the ID being mentioned 3 times in the definition
The Hunnic Empire? Brilliant! This next bit has nothing to do with daft college students, and everything to do with my legendary boycott of Christmas.
Friar Dave: have you seen the stand-up Jim Gaffigan?
The Fly: Yeah, I have indeed.
Friar Dave: you've seen his holiday bit?
The Fly: Holiday bit?
Friar Dave: sorry ran to campus. (just before you wrote that)
The Fly: np
Friar Dave: Jim Gaffigan has a bit on holidays mocking traditions that don't make sense
Friar Dave: given your views on the upcoming Solstace holiday, i think you'd appreciate it
Friar Dave: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjJCIbC9sxA
It's really a funny clip, and makes some great points about traditions from a number of holidays (a few of which are addressed by education about the origin of the traditions - particularly for Christmas and Easter). This next exchange demonstrates just how little attention the poor student paid in class.
Friar Dave: and btw, what would you give an ID on constantine that just mentions his administrative reform and nothing about religion
Friar Dave: (out of ten)
The Fly (1:47:26 PM): Um, I'd talk about the tetrarchy, maybe? And mention that he became the emperor by winning a major battle near Rome? You're right, that'd be tough.
Friar Dave: i gave it 8 of ten. the admin stuff's important, but you have to have both.
For those of you who aren't Roman history buffs, Dave was particularly generous. Constantine's single most important contribution to history was his tolerance of Christianity. This will be discussed more below - after this second reference to Tacitus.
Friar Dave: oh, incidentally, i can't not tell you this one. One person got confused and referred to St. Paul as Saul of Tacitus.
The Fly: ROFL
The Fly: I actually clapped at that one.
Very nice. And now, the continuation of the discussion of Constantine.
Friar Dave: you know how sick i am of seeing that constantine made Christianity the state relgion?
Friar Dave: stupid da vinci code.
The Fly: Very sick of it, I'd imagine.
The Fly: You wouldn't say that Constantine did that?
Friar Dave: im sorry if im boring you with grading comments
The Fly: No, not at all, I find them highly entertaining.
Friar Dave: he just legalized it / made it tolerable / ended persecution
Friar Dave: Theodosius I made it the official state religion, and Theodosius II made it mandatory for state office
Friar Dave: Granted, C also funded church building projects and oversaw the Nicean council, and as head of state, that's significant, but it doesnt mean it was "official" or that other religions were outlawed
The Fly: That's fair. The other thing that happened under Constantine was that for the first time, people started converting for political convenience, not out of religious conviction.
The Fly: So I'd say that Constantine indirectly made it the de facto state religion, even if your students don't know that.
Friar Dave: we could quibble about the de facto part. What was presented in class, anyway, though is that it wasnt yet "official"
Friar Dave: but your right, under him it bacame the religion of power
Friar Dave: you might have a fit here with all the revisionism around
The Fly: And you're at an advantage over me because I haven't studied that period since Spring '04, but the bottom line is I sympathize with you because even though I'm right, as usual, you're also right in this case.
Friar Dave: i'll take what i can get
Friar Dave: haha
Obviously, Dave and I have a very stable friendship and a very secure professional relationship: I bust him in the chops, and he folds like a cheap card table. This next one is priceless!
Friar Dave: ok, i've got one for you. I'll type what the student did and tne try and translate
The Fly: k
Friar Dave: (this is in the essay on the spread of christianity from a jewish sect to religion of Rome) "Jesus Christ was just one of many Jews who were crucified to try and stop the spread and worship of christianity using fear tactics ."
Friar Dave: They mean to say the romans used fear tactics such as crucifixiont to stop the spread of christianity, and this included Christ death
Friar Dave: Problematically, even deciphered as such, how could christianity be spreading before the death of christ?
The Fly: Wow. This is going to basically be an entire blog post.
An entire blog post, indeed!
A couple of random things.
I think I've mentioned her before, but I originally saw Stephanie Schneiderman a few years ago, and I remain on her mailing list. Stephanie, who's had mostly local/regional exposure in Portland, Oregon, also performs with a girl group called Dirty Martini. They did an in-studio podcast with a Portland radio station, and not only do I want to link to it, but I want to test my tech skills. So here we go.
UPDATE: It worked! Sweet!
I'm also curious about whether or not direct links on Wikimapia work, so I'm posting a link of site that I was able to track down in Dublin - a very important site, really. Originally I'd found a site that was part of my life back at Zoo Station, but I decided to upgrade my search parameters. Behold, Mecca's Rival.
The other thing that I intend to work on, and already did some exploration for, is a project that I worked on when I was in high school - in fact, this was a solid decade ago. When I was in high school, I was a regular user of IRC, and did some very basic edits to some of the files on mIRC. As part of my continuing "drinking from the firehose" education in technology updates since I was in high school (which will eventually include learning how to work with RSS feeds), my hope is to do some new edits to some of those same files in mIRC - at least to the point of being as capable of editing as I was as a high school sophomore in 1997/'98. It's not complex or difficult, but every little bit of understanding on this stuff helps.
It's interesting that this renewed interest in editing mIRC has come up at this stage of my life, given the level of interest I now have in Middle Eastern politics. mIRC was written by Khaled Mardam-Bey, who is half-Syrian, half-"Palestinian", but who's lived most of his life in the United Kingdom. The success of mIRC, which Khaled wrote when he was a Master's candidate in Cognitive Intelligence. Unfortunately, as much as I may respect him as a software developer, I think that his ideas about the situation in the Levant are remarkably myopic.
On the topic of technical stuff, you folks (especially those of you who are bored at work) may enjoy The Game of Life, a pseudo-AI game developed by some dude who had way too much time on his hands.
I really want to post more, but my need to get to bed at a decent time exceeds my want to do more typing (while being distracted by instant messages and stuff going on on Facebook). Have a great weekend, folks - there are stories brewing that will keep you entertained throughout next week!
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home