TOK Teacher
‘I am a mathematician, and I would like to stand on your roof.’ That is how Ron Eglash greeted many African families he met while researching the fractal patterns he’d noticed in villages across the continent.”
“Oxford mathematician Peter Donnelly reveals the common mistakes humans make in interpreting statistics — and the devastating impact these errors can have on the outcome of criminal trials.”
“A shocking amount of what we’re reading is created not by humans, but by computer algorithms. Can you tell the difference? Take the quiz.”
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/03/08/opinion/sunday/algorithm-human-quiz.html
“Because, these days, a shocking amount of what we’re reading is created not by humans, but by computer algorithms. We probably should have suspected that the information assaulting us 24/7 couldn’t all have been created by people bent over their laptops.”
“With technology, the next evolutionary step always seems logical. That’s the danger. As it seduces us again and again, we relinquish a little part of ourselves. We rarely step back to reflect on whether, ultimately, we’re giving up more than we’re getting.”
“Traditionally most sand mandalas are deconstructed shortly after their completion. This is done as a metaphor of the impermanence of life. The sands are swept up and placed in an urn; to fulfill the function of healing, half is distributed to the audience at the closing ceremony, while the remainder is carried to a nearby body of water, where it is deposited. The waters then carry the healing blessing to the ocean, and from there it spreads throughout the world for planetary healing.”
http://www.mysticalartsoftibet.org/Mandala.htm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/07/mandala-of-compassion_n_5942202.html
“Navajo Sandpaintings, also called dry paintings, are called “places where the gods come and go” in the Navajo language. They are used in curing ceremonies in which the gods’ help is requested for harvests and healing.
The figures in sand paintings are symbolic representations of a story in Navajo mythology. They depict objects like the sacred mountains where the gods live, or legendary visions, or they illustrate dances or chants performed in rituals.”
http://navajopeople.org/navajo-sand-painting.htm
http://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/native-indian-art/sand-painting.htm
“ON Thursday, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus announced that its 13 traveling elephant performers would retire by 2018, ending a storied tradition for the Greatest Show on Earth.”
“That was in 1998, and at the time it seemed like a turning point in the decades-long fight over circus elephants. For years, animal rights organizations had been releasing horrific undercover videos showing Ringling trainers abusing elephants, but USDA investigations never produced evidence that officials deemed strong enough to warrant action. Now there was a dead body—and a recent precedent. The agency had just fined the King Royal Circus, a small family operation, $200,000 for allowing an elephant to die in an overheated trailer of an untreated salmonella infection.”
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2011/10/ringling-bros-elephant-abuse
Some memory tests and games from the New York Times to accompany its article about the memory championship competition.
Memorizing Words
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/02/20/magazine/memory-games.html?_r=0
Memorizing Numbers
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/magazine/20110220numbers-game.pdf
Memorizing Names
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/magazine/20110220names.pdf
“Dogmatic adherence to mealtimes is anti-science, racist, and might actually be making you sick.”
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2015/03/against-meals-breakfast-lunch-dinner
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