The Miracle of the Internet

Once in a while I start geeking out over some new thing that I have come across on the internet.  Most of my time online is spent keeping up on current affairs or working, with distractions usually involving a bit of gaming along with some clever and/or weird internet humor (Oh, imgur... ).  However, every now and then I can see something that just never would have been possible when I was in high school and it blows my mind.

Take Google Earth. At it's core, this is a map... albeit one that is extremely cool.  I can literally see almost anywhere on the planet.  Street View takes it even further, giving me a first hand look at almost anywhere I would like to see.  It's amazing and I enjoy the sense of wonder when I can get lost in something like this and discover.

Here is another tool I've left on a couple times while doing work at home.  It is an interactive, live-feed of the world's weather conditions.  Impressive, when you consider just how much information is being calculated.  All the more humbling when you can see some of the big storms that have been making news as of late.  Just not possible in the early days of the internet, when every attempt to connect was greeted with this monstrosity.

Three more weeks...

~Mr.T

Well...

Time in my schedule has opened up enough that I can start sharing a bit more about what the classes are up to these days.  It's been far too long.  Again.

Yesterday, the class was inspired by a story making the rounds about a teacher who asked his students to write a letter to their future selves.  This isn't something entirely new in and of itself, but what makes the story so neat is that he has been able to track down most of his students and actually return the letters 20 years later.

We spent a good portion of the class establishing criteria for what will be a pioneering effort for me: I will collect similar letters and return them to the students in 15 years.  This means that if all goes according to plan, they will receive these notes in 2029.  Geronimo!

One reason for the post is to make this public to help me keep my word.  The other, as implied above, is that I need to get back into this habit.

More to come.

~Mr. T