Friday May 31: TIME'S UP!!!!

Ladies and gentlemen, it has been a pleasure doing business with you. Be sure that any and all assignments which you want credited towards your grade are in my email inbox by no later than 3:30 pm this afternoon. 

As I have been telling you for over a week now, I will NOT be accepting any work of any kind for any reason after 3:30 pm today

cheers,
Mr. L

Thursday May 30: Last call, ladies and gentlemen!

Today, you all have a very simple task; to wit:

THIS IS THE LAST CLASS DAY WHERE YOU WILL BE WORKING ON ASSIGNMENTS THAT YOU NEED TO FINISH UP AND HAND IN TO ME. THE ACTUAL DEADLINE IS 3:30 PM TOMORROW AFTERNOON, FRIDAY MAY 31.

GET 'EM DONE, GET 'EM TO ME BY EMAIL!!!!

cheers,
Mr. L

Tuesday May 28: ALL ASSIGNMENTS ARE NOW DUE

PLEASE MAKE SURE TO HAND IN ANY AND ALL ASSIGNMENTS WHICH YOU STILL OWE. IF YOU ARE UNSURE, PLEASE SEND ME AN EMAIL TO ASK, OR ASK ME DIRECTLY DURING CLASS. 

THAT WILL BE ALL.

CHEERS,
MR. L

Thursday May 23: What are the alternatives?

This next assignment is an addendum (love that word; I've been meaning to use it for ages) to the previous one. This time around, I want you to re-list each item, then next to it, list an alternative. Some way of achieving the goal without having to go to a city to do so.

After each "alternative" item, one complete sentence about how just HOW you can substitute the alternative for the original. How would it work? How would your goal be accomplished?

When finished, send it to me in an email with your name and "What are the alternatives?" in the subject line

cheers,
Mr. L

Thursday May 23: What Are Cities Good For?

A NOTE OF COMMUNITY INTEREST:

ALL ASSIGNMENTS WHICH YOU STILL OWE FOR THIS CLASS MUST BE HANDED IN TO ME BY EMAIL BY NEXT FRIDAY MAY 31 BEFORE THE END OF THE SCHOOL-DAY AT 3:30 PM. GRADES ABSOLUTELY MUST GO IN SO THAT YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES CAN RECEIVE YOUR REPORT CARDS  -- MR. L


Greetings, stardust descended life forms!

Today's first foray into school-based thinking will be simple and to the point:

A) List the things that cities are good for. Cities exist, so there's got to be some reason for this. Actually, there must be lots and lots of reasons

So make a list. I like prime numbers, so let's set the list at 13.

The items on the list can be things that you like about cities, stuff you've done there...but not necessarily.

B) Following each list item, give a two complete sentence explanation as to why the item is on this particular list. The first sentence describes the item and how it functions; the second sentence describes why (some) people might find this desirable.

Send this item-description o me in the body of an email, with your name and "what are cities good for?" in the subject line.

cheers,
Mr. L 

Tuesday May 21: finish up from yesterday

No need to gossip, nothing to write home about: just finish it and send it my way by email

cheers,
Mr. L

Monday May 20: Cities and Urban Land Use part one

 A NOTE OF COMMUNITY INTEREST: TOMORROW, MAY 21, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BORROW ANY OF THE MAC LAPTOPS. THEY ARE GOING TO BE USED FOR EOC TESTING. A THOUSAND PARDONS FOR THE INCONVENIENCE. -- MR. L


The following slides tend to equivocate some in the actual definition of a city -- in fact, one of the very first slides states that the definition "depends on time and culture"

That much being said, cities and urban centers are  - by their very nature -- far more crowded places to live than anywhere else. so with that in mind, let's examine the following questions

1) It would seem -- at least anecdotally -- that large urban centers have far more rules governing behavior than do suburban or rural areas. For example, NYC mayor Bloomberg recently attempted to cap the size of soft drinks sold inside city limits to no more than 16 ounces; an idea that would probably NEVER be floated in say, Goose Creek or Walterboro. Question: are there more rules in big cities because there need to be, or because it is easier to impose them in such urban environments? Three complete sentences each both pro and con

2) Since urban centers are more crowded, does this tend to magnify the effects of positive behavior vs mal-adaptive behavior? For example, if a homeless man wants to use a public library to sleep in --and even bathe  in -- is he more likely to be allowed to do this in a large urban center, or a small village far from the centers of population? Two reasons pro and con on this hypothesis, one complete sentence per reason

3) Large scale protest movements -- for example, Occupy Wall Street -- are much more likely to occur in large urban centers. Please list three possible reasons why this is so. Two complete sentences for each reason

4) RE number 3 above : With all large scale gatherings, the possibility of negative behaviors -- looting, vandalism, assaults, confrontations with armed authorities -- seems to increase. Please offer at least one good hypothesis why this may be, not less than three complete sentences

5) The slides below indicate that two of the attractions for living in large urban zones are cultural and economic diversity. Please explain what is meant by both of those "diversities" (two complete sentences), and postulate at least two reasons why these would be so compelling to people to make them want to live there (an additional two complete sentences.)

6) In this article:
http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/04/30/sir-richard-branson-plans-orbital-spaceships/
the owner of Virgin Galactic believes that space flight will soon become much more commonplace. Suppose that this is so, and that in the future, people will be able to "hop a rocket" to get to work, and they can cover hundreds of miles in 20 minutes. In light of your answers to #5 above, would this make cities more or less likely to grow even bigger? Two reasons pro, two reasons con, one complete sentence per reason 

7) In the following article
http://www.forbes.com/sites/marcellefischler/2013/03/17/8-amazingly-tiny-micro-apartments/
the authors seem enthralled with the idea of urban dwellers living in micro apartments measuring 250 sq ft. (Just to get an idea, if we use room 16 as a measure, that's approximately the space from the back wall to the metal band running through the carpet, and then only up to Mr. LaRue's desk. Home sweet home!)

Please postulate how such living conditions might alter the way the people living in them might interact with each other, and with "non-micro" dwellers. Not less than four complete sentences

That seems like enough exercise for this morning. Please send your musings to me by email, with your name and the phrase " Cities and Urban Land Use part one" in the subject line.

cheers,
Mr. L

Thursday May 16: What the heck is JIT?

A NOTE OF COMMUNITY INTEREST: THE FOLLOWING ASSIGNMENTS ARE NOW DUE BY 8 PM:

THE BOOK OF LISTS
YOUR CALL
TEA EARL GREY HOT
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR PROSPERITY
WHAT RESOURCES DO YOU USE?
KATRINA SYNDROME PART 1

Greetings once again:

To my mind, there are two reasons why our current methods of supplkying our vital "day to day" needs is so perilous:

A) People have NO IDEA exactly how the stuff they buy actually ends up on store shelves

B) Almost unanimously, stores across America are -- in computer terms -- "wysiwgs" --- meaning "what you see is what you get"

In other words, when you walk into almost store in America  -- especially if its part of some big retail chain -- ALL the items they have for sale are already on the shelves. In the bad old days there may have been "some stuff out back" --  those days, for the most part are long gone.

The reason this has taken place is because of an industrial and inventory process known as "JIT". What I would like to do now is a two step process:

A) Read through the following description below and then describe to me -- in your own words, I will haunt your nightmares if you copy and paste --   exactly what JIT is, how it works and what it means to you as a consumer. Not less than three complete sentences

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/just-in-time-JIT-inventory.html


B) The next step is for you to synthesize in three complete sentences what the article listed below has to say about JIT. Additionally, I would like you to connect what you have learned about JIT to what you have written in the previous two assignments having to do with the "Katrina syndrome". Formulate a personal response in light of what you have learned

http://www.assemblymag.com/blogs/14-assembly-blog/post/89347-time-to-rethink-jit


Please send your work in an email with your name and "JIT" in the subject line

cheers,
Mr. L

Tuesday May 14: the Katrina syndrome part 2

Now that you have made your "list of eight", I would like you to expand this list further by 

A) coming up with some alternative ways of obtaining/storing/acquiring those resources

B) doing some online research to see if there are any "off the shelf" items readily available out there which could be used to help stave off a lack of supplies of one of the resources on your list

Send me -- in the body of an email -- a list of such items, along with what they are designed to help with, and a website address where you located this item. Put your name plus the phrase "Katrina syndrome part 2" in the subject line.

Cheers,
Mr. L

Monday May 13: the Katrina syndrome

Years ago, a hurricane named Katrina struck the gulf of Mexico. Besides causing untold billions in damage and killing lots of people, it also made tens of thousands of people completely miserable for a prolonged stretch of time. Why? Simple: because the damage from this storm cut people off from the supplies of those items which they -- in a modern nation like America -- had come to expect, and to take for granted.

For example, the water mains into New Orleans were turned off, and a fleet of WalMart trucks carrying bottled water were turned back. Those are facts...WHY these events happened is still in dispute. What remains a fact is that the people of New Orleans had no water for a prolonged period of time, and water is a very important resource, as evidenced by this website put out by the US Geological Survey, an entity of the US government:

http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/qa-home-percapita.html


OK, so now previously you have made a list of the resources which you make use of on a regular basis. (Hopefully you remembered water in them somewhere!) Now let's look at the next level: how long do you think you could last on the resources you already have? And alternatively, what could you use as a replacement for those resources of which you have a limited amount?

What you need to do for this assignment is to first of all, make a prioritized list. That is, a list of the most important items, the most crucial resources which you will need to have. Begin with the top priority item, and build down from there. Make it a list of the top eight, and next to each item, define why it is so critically important by explaining what you do with it. And exactly how long it would be before it's lack made an adverse/fatal impact on your life.

Why eight? Because its a good computer number-- 8 bits in a byte. It was also the number of bits in a silver Spanish dollar -- its where we get the term "pieces of eight" from.    

Just a little FYI


send in this assignment by email with your name and the phrase "Katrina syndrome" in the subject line.

cheers,
Mr. L

Thursday May 9:what resources do YOU use?

NOTE:  THEY WILL BE CONDUCTING PASS TESTING RIGHT NEXT DOOR
YOU NEED TO BE 100% QUIET DURING TODAY'S CLASS



Greetings, human student types!

For the past several classes, we have been exploring various issues surrounding resources: how nations acquire them, what they do with them, and how they have even fought over them. Today, I wish to bring this down to a more personal level, and talk about the resources you use on a regular basis, and what use you have made of these resources.

To begin with, I want you to list and define every single solitary last resource which you have made use of within the last two weeks. Try to be as thorough as possible, and remember that if you did something, performed some task, then you have made use of a resource of some sort

A sample part of your list might look like this:

Task -- brushing my teeth
Resources applied -- toothpaste, toothbrush, water, plumbing

Task -- having some yummy Fruit Loops for breakfast
Resource applied -- Fruit loops, milk, electricity/refrigeration, bowl, spoon, water, detergent, plumbing

As you may notice, most "uses" involve far more than one resource.

I have placed a standard value of "10" for this assignment. I will be using the group which takes this task the most seriously as a "benchmark"; meaning, for every group which doesn't make as thorough a list as the "benchmark" group, I will deduct points off your total score.

You will have not more than 45 minutes to complete this particular assignment and then get it to me by email, with your name(s) and the  phrase "the resources WE use" in the subject line

cheers,
Mr. L

Tuesday May 7: finish up from yesterday

NOTE:  THEY WILL BE CONDUCTING PASS TESTING RIGHT NEXT DOOR
YOU NEED TO BE 100% QUIET DURING TODAY'S CLASS

Greetings, children!

Today, there are two tasks which you will need to complete:

A) Finishing up and sending off to me by email the assignment which we began yesterday

B) Sending in files in response to requests which I have emailed to you. Requests for assignments which I ave yet to receive

That should do nicely.

cheers,
Mr. L

Monday May 6: minimum requirements for prosperity

Years ago, I worked in a "behavior house" -- a home setting for my fellow Americans who had propensities for violent behaviors. I worked there alongside people from all over the world... for some strange reason, they had all picked up stakes and moved to America, then to Rhode Island, and had ended up working in the same behavior house in East Providence where I was stationed. Guess they had a hankering for working with people who would try to rip your hair out in big chunks, or fling TV sets across the living room. Either that or-- like me -- they just needed a steady paycheck.

In any event, I learned why one of my co-workers had left his homeland. Seems he was a self taught car mechanic, and he had used his skills to build up a small fleet of vehicles. In his small nation -- located on the Atlantic coast of a very warm continent -- automobiles were at a premium, and not many people owned them. So he hired out these cars, sort of like a taxi service. And he made pretty decent money doing this. And all was well and great and wonderful, until an army officer showed up with a squad of soldiers.

Seems this officer took a liking to these vehicles, so he took them. At gunpoint. Needless to say, my future co-worker was very upset, but he was unarmed, so he did nothing. However, he made the mistake later on of complaining about the treatment he had received. Word got back to the authorities, so this fellow told me he had ended up "on the list".

Being pretty simple in those days, I said "List? What list?" I was genuinely puzzled. So this fellow looked at me as if I was the dumbest person ever, and explained -- as if he was talking to a small child:

"The list for being fed to the crocodiles."

Ohhhhh... that list.

ASnyway, they must really feed people to the crocodiles there, because this co-worker of mine left his country that very night. I though about his story for a long time, and it occurred to me to wonder just how many other people like him there must be, all over the world. Hope smothered, opportunities wasted, dreams denied. Are the problems of poverty really the result of lack of resources? Or does it go deeper than that? 

What do you need -- as a person, a state, a nation -- to become wealthy? In other words:


WHAT ARE THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR PROSPERITY? 


Today's assignment is for you to tell me what you believe these requirements to be. Please list these requirements -- and there should definitely be several at the very least-- and provide not less than three complete sentences for each item on the list. One sentence explaining what the requirement provides, what it's good for. A second sentence explaining what the attendant difficulties will be for a country to achieve prosperity if they DON'T meet this requirement. A third sentence offering a possible alternative to this requirement, some way around it.

Send these requirements to me in the body of an email, with your name and the phrase "minimum requirements for prosperity" in the subject line

Cheers,
Mr. L

Thursday May 2: Tea...Earl Grey...Hot

Greetings, fellow scholars!

So now that we have been talking about resources for some time now, I thought it might be fruitful -- and interesting-- to consider what would happen if every nation on earth had "replicators" like they do in the old science fiction show "Star Trek". You know, the devices where you say something like "tea...Earl Grey...hot" and out pops a piping hot cup of the sort of tea you drink when you're sitting in the billiards room, wondering aloud if Britannia will ever regain her colonies.

So let's suppose that every nation did have these devices. They could literally create any resource they want or need. Would this end all wars over resources? Would it usher in an era of universal peace? Or would it have some other effect?

Here's what I'm looking for:

A)  At least six reasons -- three pro and three con -- why there either would or would not be universal peace resulting from this. At least one complete sentence per reason.

B) Two additional possible outcomes --- please base them on something that's possible, even if seemingly fantastic. Sort of like intelligent life deciding to look for something worthwhile, and then somehow ending up here searching for it on planet Earth. At least four complete sentences per outcome

send it all my way in an email with your name and  Tea...Earl Grey...Hot in the subject line

cheers,

Mr. L