Massive Inefficiency in the Educational System

Did anyone else notice that all elementary/middle/high schools teach basically the same thing? There are around 100,000 schools as far as I know in the USA and in terms of content we only need 3. One elementary, one middle and one high school. Let's pick ONE teacher (the best one) for each subject, record them, and then focus on getting that content to all of the students in the country. Let them play the content at their own pace. How much money would that save? Let's see:

100,000 schools
50 teachers per school
$50,000 per teacher

So, about $250 billion per year could be saved. Minus some IT costs (essentially negligible in comparison). Not bad. Oh and I forgot administrators, buildings, buses, meals and sports. We could save a LOT of money - and I bet we'd have a better educational system as well. If you consider that, at the end of the day, most students learn very little in school, what's to lose from trying it?

-BT

Cell Phone Lifehack

Gentle reader,

I have a tendency to try to get as much value as possible out of everything I own. For example, I keep my cars a long time and even my jacket is getting a bit worn. Last week my 3 year-old cell phone was on its last legs. Part of the fascia had come off and the numbers were getting hard to read due to my keeping the phone in my pocket together with my scratchy keys. That wasn't the issue though - the problem was that it was almost impossible to charge the phone because I had to jiggle the power adapter after plugging it into the phone until it was *just right* before the phone would charge. I had developed the fine art of finding the charging sweet-spot but finally the phone gave up the ghost and refused to charge at all.

What to do?

Well, one option would have been to re-up my Verizon plan for another 2 years and get a "free" phone. However, I have a psychological block with signing anything that involves a monthly payment for any length of time. It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Well, a quick trip to eBay later, I had located a very lightly used phone that was the exact same model as my current phone. The price? $17 including shipping. Now, I knew that I liked this phone. It is a basic Kyocera model 414, nothing fancy, it just lets me, of all things, make and take phone calls. No camera or any of that other new fangled bullshit. Before buying the phone I called Verizon with the ESN number to be 100% sure that they could activate the phone once I purchased it. No problem, they said, after trying to convince me that it would be better just to renew my contract (fat chance).

So I went ahead and bought the phone on eBay. The icing on the cake? It came with a free charger. Want to know what Verizon charges for a wall phone charger? $29.95. So I ended up with a good used phone AND a charger for about half the cost of a phone charger from Verizon. Since it was the same brand as my old one I had no problem figuring out how to use and program the phone. Finally, since I purchased a used phone, I am being kind to the planet.

As we say in the UK, "Result!".

Time for today's quote:

I do not read advertisements. I would spend all of my time wanting things.
~ Franz Kafka

Until the next time, gentle reader, I remain as always,

Your friend,

Buford Twain