Comments Off on To-Do List Web App: HiTask.com

This week, I’ve started using HiTask.com to manage my “to-do lists.”  It’s a “web application,” which I can use from my desktop computer, laptop, or smart phone.

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Comments Off on I Want a Tablet, But…

I’ve been shopping for a new portable computing solution for several months, but I’m experiencing lots of frustration. Basically, I’m finding that every option available includes only a subset of the features and capabilities I desire.

Today, I was ready to buy a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet.  But when I went to Best Buy today to make my purchase, I made some discoveries that changed my mind.

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Comments Off on R.I.P., Original iPhone

Over the past year, my “original iPhone” has lost more and more functionality, and today I realized that it’s time to pull the plug.

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I’m very interested in the school-reform movement, so I’ve been debating whether to buy Steven Brill’s new book, Class Warfare.

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Comments Off on Thoughts On Learning That Reading My Book Review is a Class Assignment

I just learned that last January (2010), one of my book reviews was included as assigned reading in an AP English class (taught by Ms. Tsuruda at Mililani HS in Hawaii).

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Comments Off on My New Wireless Headset

How did I live without a cordless telephone headset?

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Comments Off on The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education

After reading some very positive reviews, I was quite disappointed with this book (The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education, by Diane Ravitch). While there are many good ideas in the book, it’s excruciatingly repetitive, poorly organized, and fails to persuade. Read more »

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I was intrigued by a brief mention of 101 Theory Drive: A Neuroscientist’s Quest for Memory (by Terry McDermott) in a local bookstore’s newspaper insert, which led me to search out some reviews online. Based mostly on one positive review (by B.T. Shaw, in The Oregonian), I bought the Kindle edition of the book from Amazon on the day it was released.  After finishing the book, I was satisfied because I felt that I’d learned a lot about the biology behind memory; but I was also disappointed because the review had left me with higher expectations. Read more »

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I’ve been searching around for software to convert my LPs and Cassettes to MP3 format, and what I’ve found is a surprisingly complex array of choices, with little clear information to differentiate these products.

Eventually, I found that Acoustica’s “Spin It Again” software is available as Shareware (through Tucows), and I downloaded it to see how it might work for me.  I found it “reasonably easy” to use, considering the actual complexity of the task. Read more »

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July 24, 2009 — Last week, I researched a number of options for “content management systems” and decided to try Joomla. Read more »