Producers, not consumers. Citizens, not divas.

Affluenza.org and Kids and Commercialism
Check this place out!
I hope my children never grow up to be 'consumers.' At least, not the kind I'm seeing all this advertising and commercialism directed at.

Heard on the radio: Buy these shoes - they're half-off, even without knowing any math you know that's a good deal!

No, I'd like our kids to be producers. I'd like them to be capable and confident that they can do things for themselves and their community.

Credit Card Kids and the Buy-Me Generation

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I am extremely peeved at my generation, and the generations that are growing up right now - with their credit cards, 'I want everything mentalities', cell phones and ipods.

My niece still thinks she can grow up to be a rockstar or a diva, because of too much Nickolodeon, Disney Channel and no discipline. Rockstars and divas don't need school, didn't you know? They don't have to concentrate on that boring homework or even crack a book. They can quit in high school, walk out on the street and become 'discovered'.. never working a day in their life. They swim in cash and spend it on all sort of fabulous (unnecessary) things such as diamond tiaras and cars they can't drive yet! Sheesh!

Where are the people that are going to be the future's scientists and artisans? Where are the thinkers, inventors and great community leaders? Well, they certainly aren't growing up on my street... not unless somebody starts turning this around and fighting back at the media mentality.

Children need to learn to grow their own food, make things with their hands, balance wants and needs and realize that all of the 'new gadgets' in this world have very little to do with the path to happiness. They need to network with other people - learn skills and seek knowledge.

A person who is afraid to get their hands in the dirt or take the time to cook a meal ? I see way too many of them. Or, 'It takes too much time to read a book - why not page through a magazine or watch a movie?'

Sure, maybe technology is changing - we are in the Information Age - but the needs of the human mind should pretty much stay the same. We need to do things, see cause and effect, and know the value of our participation physically, mentally and socially at an early age. Kids need to understand everything won't be handed to them - they have to work to make it happen. This makes productive adults who put value back into their community.

Would you rather have this generation sitting out on the street wondering why nobody talked some sense into them? Or, worse, (and some already have seen this) living in Mom and Dad's basements until they are forty because they can't figure out what went wrong with all their plans to become rich and famous?

My husband and I will start having our children next year - on a farm with sheep and a large garden, far away from the lights of the city. We're not survivalists.. but we are survivors. We have a room full of books on "archaic" subjects such as physics, geometry, botany and philosophy. We hope our children will become smart intelligent citizens by watching how much their parents are intersted in and value their accomplishments.

what day of the week were you born?

This is a cool link: What day of the week were you born?

I was born on Thursday, June 21st, a while ago. :o)

While you're there - check out this clock and gear fundamentals page (same site).. kind of cool!

Online article: ebook of Food Guide for War Service at Home on Project Gutenberg written 1918 - interesting ideas of the diet and use of different foods during WWI.

Fiction reading: Finished 'Black Coffee' by Agatha Christie - the novel that had been converted from the 1929 stage play! Very cool - there was a point there where I even thought maybe 'They all did it?', but it was wrapped up skillfully in the end.

Also reading 'Her Majesty's Wizard' by Christopher Stasheff. I just picked up the first few chapters after finishing the other book - but it looks like a good read. Quite a few references to old verse that I'll have to track down!

My math books (the high school ones) haven't arrived yet. When they do, I'll begin my comparison to the older math book.

re-engineer your brain and your wallet will follow

Living Frugally (post I made to an online group in response to a topic)

Jump to the Tips for Re-engineering your Wallet

I'm not selling you anything, although this looks like an ad. I'm just a girl in TN who wants to live simply.

I really wish more people would do this! Especially the people I know who are 'barely making it', they tell me that... but then they refuse to not live like the Joneses. I've learned a lot of this from my husband, as he grew up in a family with lots of kids and few resources. The first year we were married we barely made ends meet - then we started doing this. Now, we have enough in the bank to make a downpayment on our own house and land.

I grew up in a poor family too, but we always made ends meet.
Now, my siblings think my husband and I 'live like monks.'
but, we have most of the things we want!

You don't have to live like a monk all the time.
But you have to know what you want out of life
and not just 'go with the flow' because everyone else does.

If you try to keep up with the Jonses' for keeping-up's sake
that is how big companies get all your $$ and you are stuck holding things you don't want, don't need, and a big stack of bills you can't pay.

The Tricks
Re-Engineer your Brain and your Wallet will follow

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• Don't run out everywhere the moment you need something small. With gas prices like they are, make all your shopping on one day a week, bring a list and stick to it. Plan for the week ahead, so you don't run out of anything important. It can be done. This was a hard thing for me to do! This one thing alone has saved us more $$$ than any of these others put together.


• If you can make something (chair, dishrag, rug etc.) for much less than you can buy it - do it. Unless you have absolutely no time to spend making something, it is worth it and will probably be a better product than what you can buy in a store.


• We wear clothes and shoes until they wear out - unlike my siblings who throw something away the moment it is 'not in perfect condition' or even worse, 'not in style.' We buy used if we can, but do not deprive ourselves of a set of dress clothes or good fitting shoes. We don't buy clothes just because they are 'on sale' or 'in style.' That is what the big $$ companies want you to think is 'required' because they want your $$ too!


• First off - cook your own food when you can. You'll know what is in it, and not be paying gas and lots of $$ for fast food. We also 'streeetcch' food by adding cheaper things to it, like rice or pasta to expensive vegetable stirfry, or making cheap baking powder biscuits to add more bulk to a meal. Understand your nutrition with this - a good cook can make lots of healthy meals with very little. Remember olive oil is a good fat and know which foods create 'complete proteins.'


• We also soak dry beans on Friday or Saturday night to cook in the oven (during the cold hours of morning or late at night is best, heats up the house in winter or doesn't heat it up during the noon hour in the summer). A married couple can live on 30-50 dollars a week for groceries (meatless) if they do this (that is even with a few special items thrown in for each person, like my favourite jam and his favourite fruit). Garden as well (with cheap farm bureau seeds, not designer ones) - it brings your costs down even lower.


• Use up your leftovers or learn to cook exact portion sizes. Keep an eye on expiration dates (when you buy too) so food you buy is not wasted. Forgo the dinner you planned tonight if there is something else that won't keep as long and needs to be used first.


• All the old clothes that we do finally throw out either become rags or can be sewn into something else. I learned to sew quilts, toys and rugs from my grandmother.


• We drink tea (hot and iced), coffee and WATER instead of wasting our money on large packs of soda. I see so many carts at the supermarket with very little food in them, but several large packs of sugary soft drinks. This wastes money, adds empty calories and think about your dental bills too! We buy packaged snacks very rarely.


• Don't skimp on dental or necessary health care when you can afford it. Small things turn into big things. Keep yourself healthy and you will be able to work more efficiently, and work harder for the things you want to do for yourself.


• This one will be hard for a few people to accept - but it has also saved us a lot. Consider every item you have or buy as either useful, having sentimental value, or as clutter. I won't throw out the ceramic knick-knacks my grandmother gave me - but I won't pick up more at a garage sale just because they are 25 cents. Live simpler, and you will have less to clean, organize, worry about getting broken, or pack if you have to move. If you really want something (like a skein of yarn, or a new book) the money will be there and less will be wasted on things that 'just came up.'


• Pay bills on time to reduce late fees. Plan a budget and know what needs to be paid - the important things. Don't be the person that loses their phone, electricity, rented apartment etc.. when they miss one paycheck, or even two! What is more important, the shoes on sale, or your rent? Paying bills on time improves your credit rating - but don't give into all those credit cards either. MOST PEOPLE DON'T NEED CREDIT CARDS! Put your saved money in the bank where you can't get it at every whim! Set aside some regular portion of your paychecks as 'savings.' Keep an emergency fund as part of your regular expenses. Even if you can only save 5.00 per paycheck, that still is something - and don't touch it until you really need something!


• And last but not least - if you can get somewhere (safely) by walking or riding a bike instead of driving (ex. the post office, the library maybe? maybe just a friend's house?) - do it. You'll be healthier and save gas money at the same time. Some people have health problems to keep them from walking too far (like my father), but take shorter trips to the mailbox, the back corner of the backyard, etc.. at least to keep yourself active.

quiz

News link: California professor wins Millennium Technology Prize for work with laser and light.


The quiz, pointed to by CarrieK -
What is Your World View? (updated)
created with QuizFarm.com

I don't quite agree with these findings -- I think there IS a higher power out there - I'm just not sure what the nature of it is entirely, and have been contemplating on it my entire life. I think one has to feel a deep and life-penetrating faith in something, with every bit of their being, before they have a definite answer to this question. Some people get there easily. It has been a harder journey here, but one I am still attempting to make.

You scored as Existentialist. Existentialism emphasizes human capability. There is no greater power interfering with life and thus it is up to us to make things happen. Sometimes considered a negative and depressing world view, your optimism towards human accomplishment is immense. Mankind is condemned to be free and must accept the responsibility. Existentialist 69% Idealist 63% Postmodernist 63% Romanticist 63% Cultural Creative 56% Fundamentalist 44% Modernist 38% Materialist 31%

Vintage books for me!

Here's what is on the Geek Desk.
The New Mathematics, a Third Course - (1953)
Edward I. Edgerton and Perry A. Carpenter

The Universe Around Us - (1929)
Sir. James Hopwood Jeans
The second book is almost like a birthday present, and it is so great! I read that it helped an astrophysicist (or two) to realize they wanted to be a scientist when she grew up! It is in such good condition for 1929 - I can't wait to start reading it!

Interesting blog links - math and memory

Blog Link: Mind Games harder for Kids at Eide Neurolearning Blog.

Blog Link: Homeschool Math Blog - ranges from simple to complex mathematical posts, quite interesting! Jumped from here to the link on 'online maths newspaper with funny headlines' at The Sum (think, the 'Sun' tabloid).

Blog Link: Casting Out Nines <-- this looks like it could be interesting, I'll have to check back later.

and now.... a paragraph from the math text I'm currently admiring.. the 1953 'Third Course in the New Mathematics' by Edgerton and Carpenter:

Copyright facing page: (Seen under a beautiful b/w photo of the Grand Coulee Dam)

Long before this dam was begun, engineers had to do an enormous amount of mathematical work. Without the knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry and trigonometry, as well as higher mathematics, they never could have planned this gigantic structure.

Just for the record - I'll state that this is an eighth-grade level math book -- and I am currently admiring it for the way it keeps stressing what math is used for, frames problems in the sections on real world problems (explaining textile manuf., machinists' work, farm issues and the like along the way) with real world reasoning and solutions, and reminds the students that their future business goals depend on knowing enough math to do their work and keep their finances in order. By the last 1/5 of the book - they are covering quadratic equations, factoring, stock market dividends, insurance policies and a special section on aerial navigation. Just a beautiful hardback book - and only a little over 5"x7.5", 490 pgs.

If you've gotten through all that - then you are worthy of reading this (eventually):
The Mathematical Realm of Nature by Michael S. Mahoney, Princeton University. A fascinating online article.

News links and algebra textbooks

Algebra Textbooks

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I went looking for what our kids are learning in math classes today - and found this list of highest ranking textbooks, in use, that might help kids learn (according to the AAAS Project 2061. Well, I want to compare this to the very good 1953 specimen I bought earlier this week. I ordered both copies of the first course of Contemporary Mathematics in Context from an Abebooks.com bookseller.

More info when they arrive!

AAAS = American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Cloned Mules Compete against each other, come up nearly identical times.

Rivers found under Antarctica ice - I think they mean under the ice but between deep lakes on the land though - 'under tundra' lakes... so kind of like caves? I'm not sure. I'm still trying to picture this one in my head.

This one is actually from April - but so interesting! Polyglots have 'different' brains. My question here is - what skill is it when you don't know a langauge at all, but by reading long paragraphs of it - patterns and similarities to other languages you can read and understand begin to appear - and you can properly translate large areas of it? Of course - some languages are quite similar to others.. maybe learning some German, French and Latin gives you the 'keys to the castle' on stumbling through many others?

Blog Link: the Stevens list of the 100 greatest science books first 30 listed here from the Stevens Center for Science Writing - plus there are some great suggestions in the comments! Gotten to by EurekAlert! (again.. great site!) article

Soay Sheep and Geometrical Drawing

not together ;o)

Soay Sheep - Natural selection in island sheep - found at EurekAlert! Great article - I didn't even know that these sheep existed, much less all by themselves, wild on a Scottish island! The article covers some genetic testing and analysis done by scientists.

Saw this book - Geometrical Drawing 1935, from the International Textbook publishing company, at our local flea market today. However, the copy they had was not kept in the best of places the last 80 years - and it would be worth ordering one from a good place online, now that I know about it. What I could stand looking through (bad old book odor.. you know what I mean) had some great charts and formulas in it. The same company had a few other trig and geometry books (apparently the previous owner worked for the DoT or something.. lots of things about highway surfaces and statistics of materials etc) but they were in such bad shape I didn't even try to look through more than the first few pages.

Fifth Dimension

Browsing Around

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• Physicists probe the fifth dimension news story at msnbc.
• science and space quiz at msnbc as well. I scored an 80. Have to go check out those ancient cave ecosystems again ;o)
• WhoWhatWhenAIR blog about the MIT moving skyscraper sculpture

Yes - I spent too much time at one site, but it was actually interesting this morning :o)

Book Finds

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1953 'Third Course in the New Mathematics'
small school textbook I picked up at the library sale yesterday. Excellent condition - beautiful pictures scattered throughout the text. Many exercises and word problems. Covers a wide berth of general arithmetic, geometry and algebra, as well as a nice chapter on converting data to charts for 'practical uses.'

I had the luck to see the lady checking it in - not many math books make it to the sale shelves (I'm not sure where they take them.. but they disappear). She said - this? if you want it, give me a quarter and it's yours. :o)

there was also a 1929 french grammar that was free!

Found printed on the back cover of the mathematics book. A sign of the times: 'An additional protractor will be sent by the publishers on receipt of three two-cents stamps. Address the nearest office of Allyn and Bacon.'

Symmetries of Culture

I have got to read this in more depth later - fascinating!

Especially in Chapter 2 - translations and reflections. It reminds me so much of when I was first wrapping my brain around the coordinate system in programming POV-Ray (by hand, not with a modeller), back say... 10 years ago now.

I also ordered this book today: 'The Universe Around Us' by James Hopwood Jeans (1929)

- it was highly reccommended in this article and I love old science books.. just love them. I got my copy on abebooks.com, which is celebrating its 10 year anniversary!