Stephen’s Untold Stories

Thanks to my friend Tracy for sending this!

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It looks like I’ll be spending more money on my iPod pretty soon.

BlueTrip delivers the pristine CD-quality sound that iPod users desire in a high-quality home stereo environment. Using Bluetooth technology, BlueTrip can transmit up to 30 feet away from your stereo, without the traditional barriers of line of sight, walls, ceilings or windows that limit other remotes. With BlueTrip, you are free to roam and jam.

BlueTrip

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This is something that more states may decide to institute.

Novice teachers in Arizona will soon have to pass a test of classroom skill via videotape to get a long-term license.

The new requirement is expected to make Arizona one of just three states that require a videotaped lesson to advance from an initial credential to a more permanent one, according to data collected by Education Week. The others are Connecticut and Indiana.

State officials argue that the assessment will set a much higher standard than the existing licensing system, which includes only one test—on subject matter for beginning high school teachers.

“Now, we don’t even know if the teacher at least has the capacity to communicate with students,” said state schools Superintendent Tom Horne, who has been an advocate of the change, which the state board of education approved this summer.

Teachers first licensed after the current school year will need to pass the assessment to get a license that’s good for six years. They will have three years from the time they start teaching to produce a videotape of a classroom lesson and submit it along with a written analysis to independent evaluators.

The assessment is the same as one used by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards as part of its voluntary program for certifying experienced teachers. Arizona has hired the Educational Testing Service of Princeton, N.J., to set up the new program, and the privately organized Arlington, Va.-based board has licensed use of the test to ETS.

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Percentage of households that had a computer and Internet access in October 2003:

From the U.S. Census

Link to stats

Some really interesting tidbits!

Rock and Roll Biographies

I always liked his humor, even though he is completely bizarre. Here is a list of some of his best quotes.

• A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.
• The way I understand it, the Russians are sort of a combination of evil and incompetence… sort of like the Post Office with tanks.
• I got some new underwear the other day. Well, new to me.

Here is the complete list.

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Some these are very cool!

Ajax programming techniques have recently generated lots of buzz for good reason: they can be used to create interesting browser-based applications that do things many thought impossible with typical web browsers (in particular, a certain Ajax technique can send and receive data to and from a server without requiring the browser to refresh or reload).

Link to Site

This is one of the best I’ve seen.

Periodic Table

Here is a completely online way to do some drawing!

Art Pad

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I’ve posted this before, but it deserves a repeat. One of my favorite blogs is the Your Daily Art blog by Martha. Today’s entry is about one of my favorite artists, Francisco de Goya.

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This is a pretty simple site, but it will generate some nice lined paper for taking notes the old-fashioned way!

Notepaper Generator

Thanks, Jeff!

Tim Stahmer, an Instructional Technology Specialist in Farifax County, Virginia, has an excellent resource site for teachers. You can choose your category on the left side of his site, and he has some outstanding resources for teachers of all levels.

The Top 101 Web Sites For Teachers

Jupiter’s Red Spot

One of many great photos from NASA.

Click here to see more!

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There are several online word processors, but here is a good online spreadsheet. You don’t need to have Excel to do some good work with a spreadsheet. All you need is a web browser!

Num Sum

Thanks Jeff!

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This is some very interesting news.

Rollout of the next generation of Internet Protocol technology is moving ahead with Lucent Technologies and Global Crossing announcing that the companies are starting to deploy IP version 6 (IPv6) systems.

In essence, IPv6 simplifies IP networking with improved routing and offers better security capabilities. By enabling devices to configure their Internet connections automatically, IPv6 will support the introduction of more intelligent connected devices, including PDAs, mobile phones, Internet-connected TVs and smart household appliances.

The new protocol significantly increases the number of addressable Internet endpoints, and is seen as the expected progression for I.T. officers looking to replace existing enterprise equipment. Moreover, the U.S. government has mandated that its agencies adopt IPv6 in their core networks by 2008.

Link to Article

Wow!

Photo Gallery

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Very good news about the N standard for wireless networks. More speed and better distance!

A group of 27 technology companies said on Monday they would collaborate on a new, faster Wi-Fi wireless Internet connection standard for computers and other portable devices.

The new Wi-Fi standard is known as 802.11n and follows the 802.11a, b and g standards. The n-version is billed to be two to 10 times faster than current Wi-Fi technologies and will enable high-quality wireless video transmission in office and home networks.

It is also designed to have superior reach. “We have twice the range. We can really get to the last nook and cranny of the house,” said James Chen, a senior product marketing manager at U.S.-based chipmaker Marvell.

And it promises to make Wi-Fi a viable means of wirelessly connecting consumer electronics products such as video recorders and television sets.

Link to Article

These are unbelieveable.

Link to Site

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This looks very promising.

Writeboard.com

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