eleanor could be anybody

raptivist: Heidi the rabbit! Heidi has arthritis in her knees...

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:32:14 -0400

Heidi the rabbit!

Heidi has arthritis in her knees and hips so to help with the pain, she swims a few times a week!

Sometimes she wears a scrunchie on her ears so that they don’t get wet!

Photo

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:30:59 -0400

Photo

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:20:42 -0400

Hey guess what today is

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:39:46 -0400

THE LAST MONDAY I WILL EVER BE TEACHING PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL!!!!

What Data Can't Do

Sun, 19 May 2013 23:53:05 -0400

What Data Can't Do:

youmightfindyourself:

By: David Brooks

NY Times, February 18, 2013

Data struggles with context. Human decisions are not discrete events. They are embedded in sequences and contexts. The human brain has evolved to account for this reality. People are really good at telling stories that weave together multiple causes and multiple contexts. Data analysis is pretty bad at narrative and emergent thinking, and it cannot match the explanatory suppleness of even a mediocre novel.

Data creates bigger haystacks. This is a point Nassim Taleb, the author of “Antifragile,” has made. As we acquire more data, we have the ability to find many, many more statistically significant correlations. Most of these correlations are spurious and deceive us when we’re trying to understand a situation. Falsity grows exponentially the more data we collect. The haystack gets bigger, but the needle we are looking for is still buried deep inside.

One of the features of the era of big data is the number of “significant” findings that don’t replicate the expansion, as Nate Silver would say, of noise to signal.

Big data has trouble with big problems. If you are trying to figure out which e-mail produces the most campaign contributions, you can do a randomized control experiment. But let’s say you are trying to stimulate an economy in a recession. You don’t have an alternate society to use as a control group. For example, we’ve had huge debates over the best economic stimulus, with mountains of data, and as far as I know not a single major player in this debate has been persuaded by data to switch sides.

Data favors memes over masterpieces. Data analysis can detect when large numbers of people take an instant liking to some cultural product. But many important (and profitable) products are hated initially because they are unfamiliar.

Data obscures values. I recently saw an academic book with the excellent title, “ ‘Raw Data’ Is an Oxymoron.” One of the points was that data is never raw; it’s always structured according to somebody’s predispositions and values. The end result looks disinterested, but, in reality, there are value choices all the way through, from construction to interpretation.

This is not to argue that big data isn’t a great tool. It’s just that, like any tool, it’s good at some things and not at others. As the Yale professor Edward Tufte has said, “The world is much more interesting than any one discipline.”

Data doesn’t work for standardized testing and education either

I’m ready for school mom.

Sun, 19 May 2013 20:25:27 -0400

I’m ready for school mom.

This is addicting.

Sun, 19 May 2013 20:12:40 -0400

This is addicting.

subtextures: The poetry group I’m in met today and talked about...

Sun, 19 May 2013 20:08:25 -0400

subtextures:

The poetry group I’m in met today and talked about A Humument by Tom Phillips among other things. Then we tore up some books and tried out treating the pages as Philips did. This was my attempt. The others were better. But it was interesting how far some would take over the text, where some almost treated it as sacrilegious to deface a page.

These coolers are totally in love.

Sun, 19 May 2013 20:07:22 -0400

These coolers are totally in love.

theamericankid: At least the dog’s thoughtful about it. A cat...

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:28:06 -0400

theamericankid:

At least the dog’s thoughtful about it. A cat would knock the glass over on purpose and sit on the book.

Photo

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:27:17 -0400

"Nobody will stop you from creating. Do it tonight. Do it tomorrow. That is the way to make your soul..."

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:23:37 -0400

“Nobody will stop you from creating. Do it tonight. Do it tomorrow. That is the way to make your soul grow - whether there is a market for it or not! The kick of creation is the act of creating, not anything that happens afterward. I would tell all of you watching this screen: Before you go to bed, write a four line poem. Make it as good as you can. Don’t show it to anybody. Put it where nobody will find it. And you will discover that you have your reward.”

- Kurt Vonnegut (via thatkindofwoman)

Walking on Sunday.

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:22:23 -0400

Walking on Sunday.

Poetry club

Sun, 19 May 2013 18:12:43 -0400

Poetry club

Window seat.

Sun, 19 May 2013 12:54:46 -0400

Window seat.

billowy: 1977

Sun, 19 May 2013 12:26:43 -0400

billowy:

1977

subtextures: likeafieldmouse: Tom Phillips - A Humument...

Sun, 19 May 2013 12:23:08 -0400

subtextures:

likeafieldmouse:

Tom Phillips - A Humument (1966-73)

“In 1966 Phillips set himself a task: to find a second-hand book for threepence and alter every page by painting, collage and cut-up techniques to create an entirely new version. He found his threepenny novel in a junkshop on Peckham Rye, South London. This was an 1892 Victorian obscurity titled A Human Document by W.H Mallock and he titled his altered book A Humument.

The first version of all 367 treated pages was published in 1973 since when there have been four revised editions. A Humument is now one of the best known and loved of all 20th Century artist’s books and is regarded as a seminal classic of postmodern art.”

This book/art/poem is incredible. Everyone should read it.

Incredible

Red Bud Isle with Sophie

Sun, 19 May 2013 12:21:33 -0400

Red Bud Isle with Sophie

Breakfast.

Sat, 18 May 2013 13:57:58 -0400

Breakfast.

amy-lynnn: 98 year old dobri dobrev, a man who lost his...

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:28:13 -0400

amy-lynnn:

98 year old dobri dobrev, a man who lost his hearing in the second world war, walks 10 kilometers from his village in his homemade clothes and leather shoes to the city of sofia, where he spends the day begging for money.

though a well known fixture around several of the city’s churches, known for his prostrations of thanks to all donors, it was only recently discovered that he has donated every penny he has collected — over 40,000 euros — towards the restoration of decaying bulgarian monasteries and churches and the utility bills of orphanages, living instead off his monthly state pension of 80 euros.

aaahghh my heart :’)