Wordless Wednesday: "The Alarm Clock" by Diego Rivera

"The Alarm Clock" by Diego Rivera
Courtesy of Museo Frida Kahlo

I found this amazing painting through Google Art Project.  If you haven't hear, Google Art Project allows museums worldwide to upload their art so that everyone connected to the Internet now can view some of the amazing art created throughout history.  I absolutely love this idea;  after all, I doubt I'll be able to visit all of these galleries, even if I suddenly became a billionaire.

If you use Chrome as your web browser, you can find the Google Art Project app here.  If you either don't use Chrome or don't want another app, go to http://www.googleartproject.com/ to see how a little bit of nice from the museums goes a long way.

By the way, I chose this painting because I like how the alarm clock looks so sleepy.  :-)  

My 1st App is Running on Google!!!

Yes, you read that right - I have a small app running on Google's App Engine!!! Woot!

Okay, it's not much.  I wrote a ROT13 translator.  ROT13 is a substitution cipher where you take any letter of the alphabet and substitute the letter that is 13 places away.  Since our alphabet is 26 characters long, that means ROT13 is special in that you can run the same algorithm to encrypt and decrypt a message.

If you want to try mine out, go to http://kat-helloworld.appspot.com/rot13.   Enter text in the box and hit the "Submit" button.  Vióla!!  Instant secret message!

I will be adding to my app soon; I'm thinking about putting up a few simple games.  Any suggestions???

xkcd: ContextBot

xkcd is one of my favorite web comics, so I thought I'd share it with you.

A Google A Day Keeps the Neurologist Away...

...at least if the current theories on stopping dementia are correct.

Yesterday, I discovered a new game from Google called A Google a Day.  If you go to the website, it will look like a regular Google search page on top, but there is a separate section on the bottom.  Every day, starting on December 1st, Google puts up a new question in the bottom section.  The point of the game is to use Google search to find the answer to the question.  If you guess wrong, click on "Hint"and the game offers you hints.  If you just cannot find or figure out the answer, click on "Full Answer" and the game tells you not only the answer, but also the search terms used to find the answer.

I realize that Google wants to help people increase their Google fu*, but I find this particular game, well, fun.  I love learning new information, and so far I have learned something interesting about the Muppets, NASA, and crocodiles in Europe.

The only problem I've encountered is the question "Today you turned 35 on earth. How old would you be on Earth’s twin planet? (Disregard the extra days from leap years.)" You see, this question does not say what unit they want the answer in, years or days, which is important because on Earth's twin planet a day (as defined by one rotation around its axis) is longer than a year (a rotation around the sun).  The answer needs to be in years, for those of you who do this question.

Other than that one problem, I have loved going to A Google a Day and discovering a new nugget of knowledge.  For those who want to stop dementia or just get better at Googling, I hope you enjoy this as well.

* Google fu is the geek term describing a person's ability to use Google to find information.

Online Resources for Students

Whether you have a kindergartner or a senior, at some point you or your child will need to go online, either to research a school project or to get extra help in a specific subject.  The question then becomes, where do you head?

The very first place I (and my kids) go is to the associated teacher’s blog.   I currently have children in Murdock Elementary School and Dodgen Middle School, and I completely love the teachers at both school!!!  On top of being knowledgeable and friendly, these teachers maintain wonderful lists on their blogs of website pertinent to either the grade or the class.  From math facts to typing to social studies and science, I find interesting links to everything.

If I need to look further, I admit that I use my Google fu to search the Internet.  I spent and continue to spend time with my children online, teaching them how to search Google for information.  By the way, the basic secret for searching on Google is to type in your question exactly like you would ask a librarian.  Google automatically throws out simple words, such as “the”, and generally performs the search you want.

For those who want to set up bookmarks on your home computer to quality educational sites, I have a few suggestions for you:

• My Homework Hotline:  Sponsored by Public Broadcasting Atlanta’s E-learning Cyber Center and the Atlanta Public Schools, My Homework Hotline offers students real people answering phone calls and online help requests.  Georgia Tech even provides the math tutors.  
• Phone Number:  678-553-3029
• Online Request Form
• Available Monday through Thursday on normal school days
• Grades K-5 can get help from 3:00pm - 5:00pm
• Grades 6-12  can get help  from 5:00pm - 9:00pm
• Khan Academy:  From developmental math (e.g. what is a whole number) to calculus, the Khan Academy covers every math subject from kindergarten to twelfth grade.   If your child doesn’t quite understand a math lesson, pull up this website and watch the video.   Khan Academy also offers video lessons on science, history, and computer science.   No registration is required to watch the videos, but you will need to register if you want to use their online math practice.
• e-Learning for Kids:   This particular website contains information and lessons for kindergarten through sixth grade inclusively, in the following subject areas:
• Math
• Language Arts
• Science
• Computer
• Environmental Skills
• Life Skills
• Health
• English as a second language