Scratch from MIT

Scratch, created from MIT, is a wonderful programming environment and platform that is kid friendly, to be able to learn and discover coding. In about an hour or two, created this elementary game with my elementary school going daughter. It's fun, expressive and uses real programming concepts with simplified constructs.

http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/16049942/

Perfect Failure

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/15/in-praise-of-failure/

Two interesting reads, one technology and the other personal facets of one of the two complex personalities that have had been so driven to drive us into the information age from the electronics age. A trip down the memory lane, one reminding us of our humility in the face of frail human body the other working hard on challenges bigger than technology and information. How would later generations look at this dawn of information age, after they have internalized the wonders..

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/the-steve-jobs-nobody-knew-20111027

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/magazine/and-then-steve-said-let-there-be-an-iphone.html

“Let me be more specific: One faction of one party in one house of Congress in one branch of government shut down major parts of the government, all because they did not like one law.” President Obama

With hundreds of laws passing over scores of years, irony is why have the shutdowns not been frequent and common place. Maybe some people who don't like certain laws are more adult than some other juvenile ones?

What an amazing journey from the ironic and hypocritical declaration of self evidence of equality more than ten scores of years back to the emancipation declaration within five scores thereafter, to the poetic dream another five scores thereafter. Waking up from that dream within 50 years, the historic march forward of a man leading the nation, a man who could not have used the bathroom on a southern highway motel back then. A life lesson in how we may not get it right at all the first time around but how we can continue to strive to make it right.

Wheels of Gold

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/06/science/space/stars-gold-dung-beetles-and-us.html

Death Be Not Decaffeinated: Over Cup, Groups Face Taboo

http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/death-be-not-decaffeinated-over-cup-groups-face-taboo/