On Education

Gentle reader,

I confess, I spent way too much of my life in school. I went the whole hog - all the way from primary school in the UK to a PhD in the USA. Looking back now I really feel that my education was mostly a waste of time. I say mostly because it did give me the chance to make some good friends. I just turned 41 and my best friends are still the ones from secondary school in the UK
(high school as they say in the USA). From an educational perspective, though, I would have been better off if left to my own devices. I wish home-schooling had been an option for me. At the time it wasn't, really. Back in the UK it was mostly unheard of. It was a time when truant officers roamed the streets looking for naughty boys and girls who were "bunking off" (avoiding school).

By the way, having just talked about truant officers roaming around, that reminds me that the UK makes its residents pay a TV license fee and they have people in special "TV detector vans" driving around seeing who is watching TV so that they can catch people who are watching TV without a license (http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2003/06_june/24/licensing_detector_vans.shtml).
How messed up is that?

Anyway, I will admit that, sadly, almost ALL of my school career was spent focusing on getting
a good grade, as opposed to actually learning something. Studying for tests, figuring out what was needed to get an "A". That is the Achilles Heal of most educational systems. These systems are geared towards categorizing and "weeding out" students as opposed to teaching them useful things.

I did end up with good grades - but somehow it felt hollow. I spent years and years of my life simply jumping through hoop after hoop after hoop, just for that little piece of paper. Finally when I was 26 years old, I got my PhD. Then, after working a couple of "real jobs" in physics I eventually went back to doing what I had had already discovered I enjoyed 30 years ago - writing software.

Back when I was a whipper-snapper, 12 or 13 years old, I spent lots of time tinkering around with the first commercially available computer in the UK (a Sinclair ZX81). Sometime later I was able to translate a program that create d crossword puzzles from an older version of Basic to the version that ran on my own computer. Then my Mum was able to use it to generate crosswords for her French class (she was a teacher). To me, that was true learning. Reading a book, trying something out, learning for pleasure and trying to achieve something of real value.

Of course, tests are considered somewhat of a necessary evil. Even the great physicist Richard Feynman though so. Otherwise how do you know your students are doing the work? But fundamentally I think we are barking up the wrong tree with our educational system and I hold myself up as an example of how things can and do go wrong.

If somebody is really good at something, say mathematics, and that person enjoys doing mathematics then they will most likely do mathematics on their own. They will pick up
a book, or use the internet, and will learn it. Most undergraduate degrees are not directly used by their recipients and they are very expensive. Taking on a large debt for something that is probably not going to be of use is generally not a good idea.

If we are going to be stuck in school for many years, there are some things that probably should be taught, at the expense of other more 'academic" subjects. With the benefit of hindsight, here are a few things that I would teach in high school if I were designing the curriculum.

First, and probably most importantly, I would emphasize problem-solving. Most of life is about
solving problems, after all. If you can't do that, you are probably going to be stuck for a large
portion of your life. Everything from car repair to relationships involves problem-solving. One of the best ways nowadays is to use the internet. Many problems can be solved by doing a simple search. Check wikipedia. And for a really deep dive, join a forum. I have had such great experiences with internet forums. I have managed to fix my PC (pcmech.com), get some ideas
on car troubles and repaired my ancient John Deere tractor (weekendfreedommachines.com)
with the help of experts who kindly devote their time to helping others. The ability to clearly
ask a question, providing enough detail, and then listen to the advice, is a skill worth learning early.

I would teach the basics of personal finance. This would include gems such as not spending more
than you earn, advice on buying a house, a car, retirement, compound interest, 401(k), stocks, bonds and other things people tend to frequently encounter and become confused about. Why are these things not taught currently?

I would try to provide some truth about the working world. Assigned reading would
be "Working" by Studs Terkel. We would learn some of the pros and cons of being a manager versus an "individual contributor" (ugh, I hate that term). Some of the psychology that goes on at corporations. Some warning about office politics. The fact that the Human Resources department is not usually on the side of the employee. And so on. And also emphasize the fact that you are NOT likely to stay in the same career or job for your entire life. And what to do when your company downsizes. How to ask for a raise. How to interview.

There would be a strong focus on health, fitness, medicine, the human body and the myriad ways in which it can go wrong. Some talk about end of life. What the options are. Assisted suicide? Perhaps. Cremation versus burial. What do they do to the body to prepare it? Let's give this information out early, because too often people make bad and expensive decisions under tremendous pressure when a loved-one has just died.

I would put more focus on starting and running a business. What can go wrong. Things
to keep in mind. Financials. Plenty of stuff to learn about here.

How about some information on maintaining a house - such as heating, cooling, attics, ventilation
, flooring, plumbing and electrical work? And then something about gardening, growing your own vegetables, raising animals. Oh and some information concerning how our food is currently produced and distributed. Bit of an eye-opener there, eh?

Then, wouldn't it be nice to learn something about relationships? Men and women are
different, they communicate differently, they solve problems differently. Let's try to
prevent some of those divorces before it's too late. Hindsight is 20-20 but we can benefit from
the hindsight of people who have already made those mistakes and learn from them.

Let's teach more about other cultures and put more emphasis on the fact that people from other countries are like us - usually down-to-earth, regular folks, no matter what stupid shit their government happens to be pulling. Then perhaps we won't be quite so scared of other people who are "different".

Let's also teach about religion. Not proselytize. Teach. Present the history of the main religions. It is a fascinating history. Be even-handed and then students will be equipped with enough information to decide if one particular religion is right for them, or perhaps none is. Also teach about humanism as an alternative.

I think that would be a good start. I am guessing we could fit all of those things into one or two
years. And that would leave students with plenty of time to pursue their own interests.

Time for today's quote:

You will have to search among the oddballs and black sheep, among those whose shoes aren't shined and whose smiles aren't rehearsed. No, do not go in search of a job, but an inspiration.
Find a leader, a guide. Find friends. Look until you discover true individuals
and then plead with them to take you in.
-Dale Dauten

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

Your friend,

-Buford Twain

Democracy has Fallen, Can it Get Up?

Gentle reader,

If the USA is a democratic nation and democracy is so great then how come the government of the USA is doing things that its people did NOT ask for? Unless I am mistaken, the citizens of this great country did not ask for the following:

- A war in Iraq
- Their jobs being shipped to India and other countries
- A broken health care system
- Overpriced colleges
- Mostly non-existent public transportation
- Stagnant wages
- Both parents having to work in order to make ends meet
- Suspension of Habeas Corpus
- Half of their tax money being used for war
- Government snooping on their citizens
- The ability of the government to declare ANYONE an "enemy combatant" and send that person away to a concentration camp where they are tortured.
- Executives making insane amounts of money compared to their workers.
- Huge government debt, leading to a falling dollar and higher inflation.
- Social programs that are financially out of control such as medicare and social security.
- A crumbling infrastructure of roads and bridges

Part of the problem is that there really is little true choice in government - you get a bunch of rich guys in the pocket of corporations or another bunch of rich guys in the pocket of mostly the same corporations. A true and fair democracy would allow poor people to become president. When was the last time that happened? The ability to raise vast quantities of cash to pay for TV commercials biases things in favor of the people with deep pockets. The fact that dynasties of presidents occur (Bush, Kennedy, Clinton) is proof of the fact that the playing field is not level.

The system of government in the USA is clearly not working at this point and needs to be changed somehow.

The sad part is that as far as international opinion goes, the citizens of the USA are being tarred with the same brush as their government, even though they do not agree with most of what their government is doing. Most US citizens are as appalled and outraged by the actions of their government as anyone else. I have met precisely ZERO US citizens that are happy about the items mentioned at the beginning of this post. If you are reading this from a country outside the USA I would ask you to respect the fact that most Americans are not willing participants in their country's rapid downward slide into a state that resembles fascism more and more each day. They have been sold down the river by a government that seems to care only about money and power, and not about its own people. When I first came to the USA I was skeptical about the need for citizens to carry guns. Today, I am not so sure it's a bad idea.

Time for today's quote:

As nightfall does not come all at once, neither does oppression.
In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged.
And it is in such a twilight that we all must be aware of
change in the air—however slight—lest we become unwilling victims of the darkness.
-Justice William O. Douglas

Until the next time, gentle reader, I remain,

your friend,

Buford Twain

Find your mate today!

Dear dating web-site owners who make overly optimistic claims about "finding the one":

Please be realistic when posting photos of the "potential mates" in your database. As in most other areas of life, the attractiveness of men and women follows a bell curve and I am going to hazard a guess that if someone has entered themselves into your meat-market database then there is a reasonable chance that the person falls toward the middle or lower half of said bell curve. As a member of the undesired region of the curve (read: somewhat ugly person) I think it is only fair that you set expectations realistically. Moreover, I ask that you not encourage people to think only in terms of visual appeal, at the expense of all other qualities. It is those other qualities such as personality, sense of humor, and honesty which I would argue are far more important in a long-term relationship than looks alone.

If I were looking to join a dating service I would be persuaded more by an honest picture of a real, down-to-earth person even with (heaven forbid) some visual flaws than by the picture of a model.

When marrying, ask yourself this question:
'Do you believe that you will be able to converse well with
this person into your old age?'
Everything else in marriage is transitory.
-Nietzche

Thanks in advance,

Buford Twain

Is Earth just a big spaceship?

Gentle reader,

When considering space travel one runs into the problem of how to cross enormous distances in order to get to anything interesting. Sure, we can get to the moon, and some of the closer planets in our own solar system. But to get to the closest star (other than the sun) would take over four years, even if travelling at the speed of light. Unfortunately, we can't go anywhere near the speed of light at this point. So even for a modest voyage to the closest star, assuming that we had a speedy spacecraft, there will still be a significant risk of death in the time interval between leaving earth and returning safely with the (hopefully) exciting news of the voyage. For objects that are much further away we have about as much chance as a snowball in hell of surviving the journey.

What's a race to do?

Well, maybe one day we will be smart enough to build a spaceship big enough and sophisticated enough to sustain life for an indefinite period of time. Then, we could launch the spaceship and have it travel on, effectively forever. We'd need to somehow ensure that details of the mission were passed on from generation to generation, using documents or their electronic equivalents. In order to do that we'd need to invent a supply of energy that was essentially "everlasting", that would allow us to survive the long trip. Something nuclear perhaps? We'd also need to take along not just supplies, but renewable food, such as plants that we could grow and harvest.

Come to think of it, doesn't that sound a bit like the planet that we already live on? Earth is heated by an energy source with a very long lifetime, has crops, animals, and intelligent (well...)
people on it. I wonder, is it possible that the solar system itself was created by another, very advanced, civilization, billions of years ago, in order to either travel to distant corners of the universe for exploration, or to survive some catastrophe that was befalling it? And if earth is just a big spaceship, then I wonder - how the hell do we steer it?

Time for today's quote:


In all affairs, it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark
on the things you have long taken for granted.
~ Bertrand Russell

Until the next time gentle reader, I remain,

Your friend,

Buford Twain

Will the 9/11 attacks backfire?

Gentle reader,

America is unlike any other nation on earth. It is a nation made up primarily of people who traveled there relatively recently from other countries (of course, the travelers were not always willing...). The attacks of 9/11, therefore, were in some way an attack on not just America, but on the countries that contributed its people. In other words, in some sense the attacks of 9/11 were attack on just about every country in the world. This is especially true because one of the focal points of the attacks was New York City, the world's biggest melting pot. So without a doubt, one of the accomplishments of the terrorist attacks of 9/11 was to deeply wound and anger the citizens not just of the USA but of almost every country in the world.

The other thing that the attacks did was give people a jolt that got them thinking long and hard about religion and in particular about religious extremism. Since the attacks I have noticed that many people are starting to question their religion, and religion in general. It seems that every day I read more and more stories about people abandoning their faith. And in a way this is to be expected. After all, wasn't it absolute faith that led to the 9/11 attacks? If so then faith is worth questioning.

All of this self-reflection about religion is partly being fueled by several recently-published books such as "The God Delusion" by professor Dawkins, "God is Not Great" by the journalist Christopher Hitchens and others. These books do not give faith the customary free pass. They ask some tough questions. Each book develops its own thoughtful (and different) thesis against the wisdom of adopting religion as a moral compass for one's life. At the very least the books are an excellent read. But more than that, I suspect that their popularity signals the beginnings of a change in the zeitgeist.

Unless I am mistaken, there is a new movement afoot - a movement that favors rational thought over blind faith, that turns its back on the dark ages of religion. The catalyst of the movement is anger and the focus of change is religion. Could this be the beginning of a new Age of Enlightenment? I wonder, is it possible that those terrible attacks will result in what must have been the terrorists' worst nightmare - an overall reduction in the popularity of organized religion and an eventual relegation of religion to a curious and rather embarrassing footnote in the annals of human history?

Time for today's quote:

Usually when people are sad, they don't do anything.
They just cry over their condition.
But when they get angry, they bring about a change.
-Malcolm X

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

Your friend,

Buford Twain