Here’s how: a series of video lectures together with notes. An example of the notes:

Points that caught my attention in JavaScript Video Lecture Part I

• (00:45) World’s most misunderstood programming language - has “Java” in its name and “Script”. It has nothing to do with Java programming language and it’s a real programming language not some tiny scripting language
• (02:3 There are generally no books available to learn JS from - all are bad and full of nasty examples
• (02:56) The only book recommended is JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 5th Edition by David Flanagan - the least bad book
• (03:37) JavaScript is a functional language
• (08:12) Microsoft reverse engineered original implementation of JavaScript and called it JScript to avoid trademark issues
• (09:49) During standardization, the original bugs were left as is without fixing to prevent already written programs from breaking (Douglas slips and says “Sun” but he actually means “Microsoft”)
• (12:16) One of the key ideas of the language is prototypal inheritance where objects inherit from objects and there are no classes
• (12:45) One other key idea is that functions are first-class objects
• (13:36) There are no integers in the language, everything is represented as 64-bit floating point numbers
• (14:30) NaN (Not a Number) is not equal to antyhing, including NaN. Which means NaN == NaN is false
• (15:22) Type of NaN is Number

And so on.

Lifehacker points to a software tachistoscope:

When you absolutely have to commit your presentation notes, interview points, or other words to memory, a Tachistoscope, which rotates images at varying speeds, can be the next best thing to a neural FireWire port. Free Windows utility Swiftscope puts that subliminal power on your desktop. Create a simple text file with the lines you need to know, open it in Swiftscope, and set the background and font colors, the timing of the slide changes, and set the app to full-screen mode for total text immersion. Swiftscope is a free download for Windows XP and Vista, and requires Microsoft .NET 2.0 to run.

See Swiftword for info and download.

Mike Lillis has a pair of complementary stories in the Washington Independent that offer some good news. The first—which is excellent and deserves a full reading—describes how the Blue Dog (conservative) Democrats refuse to support Webb’s GI Bill unless funding can be found. The second article, posted later, tells how Pelosi and the Blue Dogs have reached agreement and the Bill can go forward:

Conservative Democrats and party leaders in the House will propose a millionaires tax to fund a popular proposal to expand education benefits to post-9/11 vets, The Associated Press reports today. The conservative “Blue Dog” members support the concept of a more generous GI Bill, but balked at the $51.8 billion cost, which Democratic leaders wanted to ignore by sticking the proposal to an emergency war spending bill. The Blue Dogs said they would withdraw their support for the GI Bill provision unless it was paid for — a conflict that’s delayed debate on the spending bill until Thursday, at the earliest.

Under the new plan, individuals earning over $500,000 and couples earning over $1 million a year would get slapped with a half-percent tax surcharge. The AP quotes Blue Dog Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark) with the following:

What we’re talking about is a one-half percent income tax surcharge on incomes above $1 million. So someone who earns $2 million a year would pay $5,000. … They’re not going to miss it.

Not that the proposal will get very far. Though the GI Bill enjoys significant bipartisan support in the Senate, there’s no indication that the tax-hike offset would keep enough Republicans on board to pass the upper chamber. On top of that, President George W. Bush has vowed to veto any tax increase that hits his desk.

But paying for the GI Bill will do is this: It will get the Blue Dogs on board, allowing the proposal to pass the House (which requires just a simple majority), and forcing GOP senators to make a tough election year choice: Do they vote for the tax hike or against the veterans benefit? We could know as early as next week.

Kevin Yamamoto has written an interesting article reporting on his experience in banning laptops in a law-school classroom. Bottom line: banning laptops is beneficial and, of course, a student doesn’t have to wait for the professor but can voluntarily abstain from laptop use during the class. The full article is available at the link. Here’s the abstract:

Over the last several years law school classrooms have seen an explosion of student laptop use. Law professors have allowed this by default, generally under the pretense that laptops make note-taking easier. However, many professors complain that students use their laptops to play games, watch movies, or if they have an Internet connection, to do web surfing and e-mailing during class. This paper presents my experience in banning laptops from my classroom in the Fall of 2006, the first time it was done at my institution. The article covers the reasons for and against allowing laptops in the classroom, my reasoning and procedure for banning them, perceived differences in the classroom experience and relevant student comments from my course evaluations, which were overwhelmingly positive to the laptop ban. Also covered are the cognitive psychological reasons in support of banning laptops. Studies show that lower grades were correlated with increased student web browsing during class (Grace-Martin & Gay, 2001; Hembrooke & Gay, 2003), and the amount of time which students used their laptops for tasks other than taking lecture notes (Fried, 2007). MRI studies of the brain indicate that the brain stores information differently when distracted, which occurs when students attempt to multi-task in class (Foerde, Knowlton, & Poldrack, 2006). The science of note-taking is also covered, which indicates verbatim typing may interfere with learning (e.g., Kiewra, 1991). The paper concludes by urging law school professors to review why laptops are allowed in their classrooms and, unless they feel that laptops increase student learning, to ban or heavily restrict their classroom use.

I’ve blogged before about the various free language courses available through the Web, but it’s time to remind you of the excellent FSI resource, which continues to expand. And if you are learning a language (or just about anything else), don’t overlook the free flashcard programs. And there are many other free tools and resources for students.

If you want to know Linux, look at the free courses, ranked here by Degree Directory:

#1 IBM

• Introduction to Linux
• Linux Training
• Open Source Projects

The IBM website is the ultimate resource for Linux users. IBM provides professional Linux training, short tutorials, open source projects, and prep for the Linux Professional Institute (LPI) Exam.

#2 Novell

• Linux Desktop Courses
• Linux Enterprise Server Courses

Novell provides up-to-date education for current and aspiring Linux professionals through an OpenCourseWare program. All of the courses are developed by Novell Training Services and include high quality learning materials.

#3 Linux Online

• Beginner’s Linux Course
• Intermediate Linux Course
• Advanced Linux Course

Linux Online is a great source for free Linux education because the site features courses for students at any level. All three of the courses are text-based and provide comprehensive Linux training.

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Some good information in this Healthbolt post. Check it out as part of your continuing sex education.

McCain strongly opposes it, but quite a few Republicans favor it. ThinkProgress has the story on the likely effects of the bill:

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and the Pentagon have voiced their opposition to the bipartisan Webb-Hagel GI Bill by spouting fears that “too many will use it,” and it will therefore “harm” the military.

A new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report analyzing the impact of the GI Bill shows that McCain is indeed “full of it.” While the report explains that troop retention will decline because some troops will take advantage of their new education benefits, the loss in retention will be entirely made up for by increased military recruits:

Literature on the effects of educational benefits on retention suggest that every $10,000 increase in educational benefits yields a reduction in retention of slightly more than 1 percentage point. CBO estimates that S. 22 (as modified) would more than double the present value of educational benefits for servicemembers at the first reenlistment point — from about $40,000 to over $90,000 — implying a 16 percent decline in the reenlistment rate, from about 42 percent to about 36 percent. […]

Educational benefits have been shown to raise the number of military recruits. Based on an analysis of the existing literature, CBO estimates that a 10 percent increase in educational benefits would result in an increase of about 1 percent in high-quality recruits. On that basis, CBO calculates that raising the educational benefits as proposed in S. 22 would result in a 16 percent increase in recruits.

Ignoring the conclusion of the CBO report, the Army Times prints this deceptive headline suggesting that the GI Bill will only harm the military: “CBO: Better GI Bill would cut retention 16%.”

As Sen. John Warner (R-VA) has said, the flip side of the impact on retention is that “putting a big piece of cheese out there will induce more qualified people to join just to get this. It should be a tremendous incentive for recruitment.” If McCain and the Bush administration truly wanted to repair retention problems, they shouldn’t take benefits away from troops but rather — as Jon Soltz has said — “focus on the role of contractors, who continually snatch up troops, offering them up to 10 times their military pay to do a similar job in Iraq.”

From Apple: itunesu

The Milgram experiment, in which unwitting subjects were ordered by a white-coated lab director to increase the electric currents to the actor feigning pain, are well known. Almost all the subjects obeyed the authority figure, turning up the current even when the person strapped in the chair seemed to be in agony. Many of those subjects clearly empathized, but they still obeyed. But here’s the story of one who didn’t. It’s important, because I think we want more people like him, and fewer people who obey regardless of consequences to others. So what made the difference?

His story begins:

When is it proper to refuse to obey authority figures, even if they have been democratically chosen for their positions?

In 1961, I participated in a famous experimental study about obedience and authority — although I and other participants were led to believe it was a study of memory and learning. The experiment was designed by a Yale University professor of social psychology, Stanley Milgram, and resulted in a book, Obedience to Authority, which is still widely used in sociology courses.

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The lucky among us took touch typing in school—I still remember the class clattering away (on manual office typewriters) to the beat of The Syncopated Clock. (The teacher rightly believed that a steady typing rhythm improved speed and accuracy.) But some come to the keyboard later—or earlier—and then must learn touch typing alone or else be caught in hunt-and-peck hell. Fortunately you can find many good software packages that teach touch typing, including free software as on this little list.

I strongly urge you to master touch typing INCLUDING the top row. Our teacher was adamant about that, and wanted us to be able to type numbers and symbols as rapidly and accurately as we typed text. I thank her today.

Take a look at Theoi.com.

Welcome to the Theoi Project, a site exploring Greek mythology and the gods in classical literature and art. The aim of the project is to provide a comprehensive, free reference guide to the gods (theoi), spirits (daimones), fabulous creatures (theres) and heroes of ancient Greek mythology and religion.

Arthur Allen has a saddening report in the Washington Independent:

The United States is suffering its worst measles outbreak in at least seven years, health officials announced Thursday, because parents who fear the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) shot aren’t vaccinating their kids–in Israel, Switzerland, and here in the U.S. So far this year at least 70 cases have been reported, more than any year since the 116 cases of 2001. That number will easily be topped by the end of the year, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, head of the CDC’s Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. There have been measles cases reported in 10 states this year. In the latest outbreak, eight unvaccinated children in a Washington state family fell ill after relatives attended an international church conference.

Nearly all the cases have been tracked by molecular fingerprinting to outbreaks of disease in Europe, Israel and Asia. An outbreak in Switzerland that has struck more than 2,000 people, and one in Israel affecting 1,000-plus patients, began in communities who don’t vaccinate for philosophical or religious reasons. These threads of belief have also fed the outbreaks here. At least a quarter and as many as half of the patients were not vaccinated because their parents had exempted them from vaccination.

Twenty of the patients were too young, or barely old enough to be vaccinated.  It is in these young children, under 15 months of age, in which the disease is most serious. Many of these babies and toddlers were hospitalized. Measles is extremely contagious–you can get it sitting in a room where a sick child sat two hours earlier–and potentially deadly. The vaccine, when given in two doses, is 99 percent effective. Only one of the 72 cases reported Thursday occurred in a fully vaccinated person.

The measles vaccine became available first in 1963. In the pre-vaccine era, 3-4 million American kids contracted measles each year; about 500 died, 48,000 were hospitalized and another 1,000 suffered permanent brain damage. In the last big outbreak, in 1989-1991, there were 122 deaths. Then, most of the measles struck inner-city kids too poor to afford vaccines. Now, vaccines are free to those who need them, and the patients tend to be well-to-do people who think vaccination is dangerous. A British doctor claimed in 1998 that the MMR shot caused autism, creating a scare that has diminished vaccination rates around the world, though he’s been conclusively proved wrong.

Another ranking, but with a peculiarly broad interpretation of “liberal arts and humanities.” For example, these courses in public health are included. By my lights, those courses, though worthwhile, are not liberal arts or humanities. Still, here’s the list:

#1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Literature Courses
• Mathematics Courses
• Writing and Humanistic Studies Courses
• Music and Theatre Arte Courses
• Women’s and Gender Studies Courses
• Other Free MIT Courses

MIT offers hundreds of free liberal arts and humanities courses through their OpenCourseWare program. It is almost impossible to not find what you are looking for on this site. In addition to courses, you’ll also find stand alone lectures and other education materials.

#2 University of Notre Dame

• Notre Dame Liberal Arts and Humanities Courses

The University of Notre Dame offers a diverse collection of free liberal arts and humanities courses that can’t be found anywhere else on the web. Course topics include language and literature, sociology, theology, philosophy, African studies, Islamic studies, Asian studies and Latino studies.

#3 Utah State University

• Utah State University Courses

Utah State University has a great selection of free humanities and liberal arts courses prepared by a diverse group of departments. Course materials include readings, lectures, assignments and other educational resources. Some of the topics that are covered in the free courses include writing, literature, languages and theatre arts.

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Just in case it’s one of your criteria for selecting a college, the top 10 are:

The Sierra Club selected the top ten most environmentally friendly colleges and universities in the country. Results are based on clean-energy purchases, green-building policies, bike facilities, food served in dorms, recognition by environmental organizations, among other factors. Arizona State University, Bowdoin College, Carleton College, Emory University, and Northern Arizona University received honorable mention for their efforts.

Rank	College Name	Location	Number of Students
1.	Oberlin College	Oberlin, Ohio	2,800
2.	Havard University	Cambridge, Mass.	20,000
3.	Warren Wilson College	Swannanoa, N. C.	850
4.	University of California System	10 locations	214,000
5.	Duke University	Durham, N.C.	12,800
6.	Middlebury College	Middlebury, Vt.	2,400
7.	Berea College	Berea, Ky.	1,600
8.	Pennsylvania State University	24 locations	83,700
9.	Tufts University	Medford, Mass.	8,800
10.	Carnegie Mellon University	Pittsburgh, Pa.	10,000

Source: The Sierra Club, November/December 2007. Web: Sierra Club .

Don’t you occasionally want to shout at politicians—and fellow citizens—”Learn some history!” Well, maybe that’s just me. But it’s always good to know how we got to where we are and what mistakes were made along the way—just to keep from making those same mistakes all over again.

Here are some good OpenCourseWare courses in history, and at the link you’ll also find useful articles.

#1 MIT

• Catalog of World History Courses

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers more than 70 free world history courses through their renowned OpenCourseWare program. Most courses include lectures, assignments, reading lists, expository text, quizzes and exams. Nearly all of the courses are translated into multiple languages.

#2 UC Berkeley

• World History Courses and Lectures

The University of California, Berkeley webcasts certain courses each semester. Current world history offerings include 16 courses and 22 lectures. Nearly all of the courses and lectures can be viewed online and downloaded as an audio or video file.

#3 The Open University

• Late Nineteenth Century Britain and America
• Europe’s Awakening
• French Revolution
• History as Commemoration

Britain’s Open University provides access to a number of free world history courses at the introductory, intermediate and advanced levels. Courses are mainly text-based and usually take between 10 and 20 hours to complete.

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Good sites if you’re interested in doing some research on:

• Indians of North America
• US Civil War
• Earth Day

And from those pages you can quickly locate good reference sites on other topics as well.

Here’s the complete list. Just to whet your appetite, the top three:

#1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Free MIT Courses

With more than 1,800 free courses, MIT has the best OpenCourseWare program. Courses cover nearly every topic imaginable and are translated into several different languages. Audio and video courses are also available.

#2 University of California, Berkeley

• Free UC Berkeley Courses

UC Berkeley webcasts hundreds of courses and lectures every semester. Current and archived courses can be experienced through on-demand replay. Course topics include everything from archeology to psychology.

#3 Carnegie Mellon University

• Free Carnegie Mellon Courses

Carnegie Mellon University makes a wide range of free online courses available through their Open Learning Initiative. The high quality courses are comparable to those offered on campus and cover topics like engineering, chemistry, biology, physics, statistics, economics and the French language.

About time: free math courses, and the top 10 are list below. Also at the link: articles and other useful info.

#1 MIT

• The Art of Counting
• Algebra I Course
• Algebra II Course
• Geometry Course
• Calculus Course
• Mathematics for Computer Science

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers so many free mathematics courses online, that it would be difficult to post them all here. But with more than 100 courses to choose from, MIT definitely belongs at the top of this list. Most of the school’s free math courses include lectures, assignments, exams and a wide array of multimedia materials.

#2 The Open University

• Basic Math Course
• Squares, Roots and Powers
• Differential Equations

Britain’s renowned Open University offers nearly 30 free mathematics courses online. From basic math to working your own math, The Open University has you covered. Most courses are text based and can be viewed online or downloaded to your computer.

#3 UMass, Boston

• Calculus I Course
• Calculus II Course
• Calculus III Course

The Mathematics Department of the University of Massachusetts, Boston provides several high-quality calculus courses that provide complete instruction for students at any level. All three of the free courses feature multiple lessons, calculus problems, assignments and tests.

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