Why “Names of polygons”?
Whenever I go to the WordPress Stats page for this blog, I see that my most popular post (most popular by far) is “Names of Polygons,” which I posted on December 10, 2010! It had 361 views last month, nearly… Read More ›
Recent Posts
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Nine ways (or six, she said originally) to do linguistics in high school
Unfortunately, I’ve never heard of a high school offering linguistics courses or indeed knowing much of anything about linguistics. So writes distinguished linguist Gretchen McCulloch. After all, everyone knows that linguistics is purely an undergraduate and graduate subject in colleges… Read More ›
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York. Book One: The Shadow Cipher
Yes, it’s a YA novel; I don’t teach middle school, so why did I read it? The Shadow Cipher (Book One of Laura Ruby’s promised trilogy, York) is clearly aimed at intelligent seventh-graders. Yes, it got great reviews — but still, why would… Read More ›
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Ancient Babylonian trigonometry? Really? Really???
It’s pretty clear what this clay tablet says, right? Obviously it’s written in… Oh, wait, maybe it isn’t so obvious. You probably don’t read Babylonian, or Akkadian, or Sumerian, or whatever language these cuneiform carvings represent. But this tablet has… Read More ›
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The first day for all
Although the first day for faculty and freshmen came last week, yesterday was the first day when all who should be here were present at Weston High School. From where I sit, it was an especially smooth opening day. As… Read More ›
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Do negative numbers exist? And why do two negatives make a positive?
A brief interchange on Facebook yesterday and today with three of my former students prompted this discussion of the two questions stated in the title of this post. It all started with this implausible claim from a reliable math website:… Read More ›
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New York 2140
Most good science fiction takes a single premise (which may or may not be believable) and spins out the consequences of that premise. To be convincing, there should just be that one premise, since most readers are willing to suspend disbelief… Read More ›
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School of Rock
I really didn’t think I would enjoy this movie. “Not my style,” I said to myself. But I was wrong. Although it’s true that it is not my style, I still enjoyed it a lot. In case it’s not… Read More ›
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A portal for parents
There’s an excellent article in last week’s New York Times on the downside of checking kids’ grades constantly through an electronic portal for parents. Here are a couple of excerpts: The reality, at least in high-pressure school districts, is that some parents… Read More ›
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I Know a Secret
Don’t read Tess Gerritsen’s newest Rizzoli and Isles novel, I Know a Secret, if you (like someone I know) are prone to having nightmares based on books and movies. The rest of us will find it fascinating and suspenseful. To a large… Read More ›
Featured Categories
Books ›
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York. Book One: The Shadow Cipher
September 9, 2017
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New York 2140
September 3, 2017
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I Know a Secret
August 27, 2017
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Confessions
August 23, 2017
Dorchester/Boston ›
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Morning glories
August 11, 2017
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Unseen World
August 7, 2017
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Yes, the Mission Hill presentation was successful.
July 28, 2017
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Restaurants in the southern part of Dorchester
July 22, 2017
Food & Restaurants ›
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Back from Manchester (but which one?)
August 14, 2017
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The Industry
July 20, 2017
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The wrong way to order steak
July 5, 2017
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Cinquecento
June 26, 2017
Life ›
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The War Room
August 13, 2017
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Hillbilly Elegy
August 8, 2017
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Snow Crash
July 23, 2017
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Mansplaining
July 16, 2017
Linguistics ›
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Nine ways (or six, she said originally) to do linguistics in high school
September 16, 2017
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The Fight for English
August 15, 2017
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Lingo: Around Europe in sixty languages
August 20, 2016
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Old medicine
August 7, 2016
Math ›
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Why “Names of polygons”?
September 18, 2017
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Ancient Babylonian trigonometry? Really? Really???
September 7, 2017
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Do negative numbers exist? And why do two negatives make a positive?
September 4, 2017
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“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?” (Rethinking quadrilaterals)
August 26, 2017
Model Railroading ›
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When will the two robots meet?
February 9, 2016
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Rails across Canada?
October 20, 2015
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Connecticut
October 15, 2013
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Meerkats, the Canadian Pacific Railway, coral reefs, and the Dead Sea scrolls
August 18, 2013
Movies & (occasionally) TV ›
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School of Rock
September 1, 2017
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Ben X (a film about Asperger’s)
August 10, 2017
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Todd Graff’s Camp
August 6, 2017
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East Side Story
July 7, 2017
Teaching & Learning ›
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The first day for all
September 5, 2017
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A portal for parents
August 29, 2017
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Coding in middle school math
August 24, 2017
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Damaged
August 19, 2017
Technology ›
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3D pens?
July 15, 2017
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The long hiatus is over.
June 23, 2017
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Desmos Redux
August 23, 2016
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Spacing after periods
August 4, 2016
Travel ›
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I’ll Have What Phil’s Having
August 21, 2016
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Wilkes-Barre
August 12, 2016
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Oliver Sacks redux
October 10, 2015
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The Berkshires: Mostly museums
August 23, 2015
Weston ›
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New furniture!
August 25, 2017
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June Academy: Create Your Own Country
July 2, 2017
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June Academy: Egyptian Hieroglyphics
June 30, 2017
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June Academy
June 28, 2017
