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Page 1
This page last updated on: Friday, January 14, 2011 6:29 AM
Morning is for musing. Not every morning, but those when I feel like it. This is one such morning. It is too cold for much else. And the first cup of hot coffee is an assist.
Model Trains: This is finally coming together nicely. I have a good switch list as well as numerous other reports from the Ship It! software. The trains appear to be running smoothly, even in areas where there is a high density of switches. The few problems with momentary engine stalls are easily resolved by cleaning the track in the offending area. All of my cars are operational. I will spend some time with this today. Outdoor activities are definitely out for the next couple of days.
One feature of my layout is the idea of mainline runs as a series of circuits around either an outer or inner mainline loop. This gives a nice blend of mainline trains and slower switching activities. I have five places on the layout where I could hold a train on a siding while another train passes it. I have yet to take this into consideration when running my trains. I will have a look at my timetable for the 10 trains in my schedule and see where I might try this. I continue to find new challenges with this hobby.
APL: This is primarily a matter of deja-vu. I remember using this programming language extensively while I was a graduate student in the late 1960's. This was my first experience with a non-compiled language (i.e. each expression was executed as soon as it was typed). This was the era of typewriter terminals. When screens became common in the 1970's, APL seemed to disappear, although screens are actually a better environment for real time execution. And as I preferred the Macintosh once it appeared on the scene, and since there was no APL capability for this environment, I drifted away from APL and moved to Logo which was ideally suited to the new interest in screen displays. One commonality between APL and Logo was the ease with which young children could grasp the syntax and could quickly become masters of the technology rather than being at its mercy. Now that I have found a new version of APL that works on a Mac, I am in seventh heaven. I definitely want to play with this.
Stella: This is another programming environment - this one is designed for creating simulations and models, which is another of my long-standing interests. I have the latest version of this but have not been able to make it part of my regular routine. I would like to return to this and see if I could build a few models of the Learning process.
Dreamweaver: This is my third programming environment. It is designed as a Web authoring system and I have been using it for the last decade. I use it to create these web sites. I recently upgraded from CS3 to CS5 but there are a few new features that I now need to master. I am using CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) for these activities but there are still a few nuances that I would like to familiarize myself with.
All four of the above activities center about the idea of building and creating. This is my passion. But I have others.
Mathematics is one. My interest here involves symmetry and thus linear algebra and group theory. These are not areas of expertise for me. Great. They present me with opportunities to learn new ways of thinking.
Another is problem solving. Crossword puzzles, logic puzzles, the strategy game of Go, and even geocaching - where one tries to imagine where a particular cache may be hidden, are all examples. Geocaching is also to be valued as an outdoor activity.
Another outdoor activity, and one that I would like to spend more time on, is photography.
And, for me, photography splits into three main foci: scenery, wild flowers and birds. All three get me outdoors and all three improve my ability to observe and see. This is good stuff.
Finally, as my friends know, I like to read. Until now that has meant books. But ebooks are rapidly emerging and I am curious to see how I react to this new possibility. An iPad is on my horizon. But the issue is still one of content. I like non-fiction books, particularly on science and history. Within fiction I enjoy an international smorgasboard: Canadian, American, English, Australian, Russian and Persian are all on my regular lists.
Coffee is good. I also like food, and a good wine or scotch. Overall our diet is fairly healthy, but I continue to struggle with snacking.
Retirement has been very good for me. I still do not have time for all of the above, but at least I have enough interests to keep me young (er).
Now for today. Model Trains, Mathematics, Dreamweaver and Literature.
Main items for today:
| Time | Category |
Regular Activities |
| Mathematics | Chap. 1 from "Introduction to Linear Algebra" | |
| Model Trains | Continue operational runs for Session 1 | |
| Technology | Lesson 5 of "Adobe Dreamweaver CS5 Classroom in a Book" | |
| Literature | Continue reading "Freedom" by Jonathan Franzen |
Date Identified |
Category | Future To Dos |
2010.07.21 |
Science | Science: review books on Leonardo da Vinci |
2010.07.21 |
Science | Science: prepare mind map for geology |
2010.07.22 |
Science | Science: Memorise dates for geology timeline |
2010.07.23 |
Science | Science: Read "Geology Road Tours" p. 50 - 99 |
2010.07.23 |
Science | ScienceRead "Canada Rocks", ch. 3 p. 60 - 77 |
2010.07.24 |
Science | Continue reading "Extinction" by Douglas H. Erwin |
2010.07.24 |
Science | Continue reading "Ecology & Wonder" by Robert William Sandford |
2010.08.01 |
History | Begin reading "The Writings of David Thompson" by William Moreau (Ed.) |
2010.08.09 |
Technology | Edit 2010 iPhoto files and burn a backup DVD |
2010.10.01 |
Technology | Begin using STELLA to create models of learning |
2010.10.01 |
Geocaching | Reach the 1000 "Finds" target |
2010.10.01 |
Psychology | Handwriting journal |
2010.10.02 |
Technology | Play with My Memories electronic scrapbooking software |
2010.10.06 |
Science |
Continue reading "The Earth Machine" by Edmond A. Mathez & James D. Webster |
2010.11.20 |
Puzzles | Go |
2010.12.29 |
Literature | Persian literature |
2010.12.29 |
Literature | Russian literature |
Link to report on actual Learning activities for January 14.