A compilation of links to inspiration, news, information, articles, editorials, commentary, entertainment, events, occurrences, resources, photographs, videos, quotes, contoversy, and conditions of interest to Pete Moss.

Search This Blog


Google
 


NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

*** All progress is experimental ~ John Jay Chapman ***

Top News

Real Clear Politics

Voice of Ameica - News

____________________________

Drudge Top Stories

Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now

Entrepreneur.com - Small Business News and Articles - Latest Articles

Markets


WORLD CLOCK

Tropics Watch

hurricane satellite map

Latest Hurricane Info: [Link Me to NOAA]

[See The Latest Computer Models]
[DHL WORLD CLOCK]

[RADAR]


Latest Links & Articles Some older links may have expired

Miami, FL

Live From The International Space Station

Thursday, November 28, 2013









EDUCATION
AlterNet / By David Morris
 125 COMMENTS

Bill Gates Imposes Microsoft Model on School Reform: Only to Have the Company Junk It After It Failed
New school systems are stuck with a model designed to trash teachers, while Microsoft employees collaborate and work on teams.
November 26, 2013 |


Schools have a lot to learn from business about how to improve performance, Bill Gates declared in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal in 2011. He pointed to his own company as a worthy model for public schools.

“At Microsoft, we believed in giving our employees the best chance to succeed, and then we insisted on success. We measured excellence, rewarded those who achieved it and were candid with those who did not.”

Adopting the Microsoft model means public schools grading teachers, rewarding the best and being “candid”—that is, firing those who are deemed ineffective. "If you do that,” Gates promised Oprah Winfrey, “then we go from being basically at the bottom of the rich countries to being back at the top."

The Microsoft model, called “stacked ranking,” forced every work unit to declare a certain percentage of employees as top performers, then good performers, then average, then below average, then poor.

Using hundred of millions of dollars in philanthropic largesse, Bill Gates persuaded state and federal policymakers that what was good for Microsoft would be good for the public schools system (to be sure, he was pushing against an open door). To be eligible for large grants from President Obama’s Race to the Top program, for example, states had to adopt Gates’ Darwinian approach to improving public education. Today more than 36 states have altered their teacher evaluations systems with the aim of weeding out the worst and rewarding the best.

Some states grade on a curve. Others do not. But all embrace the principle that teachers continuing employment will depend on improvement in student test scores, and teachers who are graded “ineffective” two or three years in a row face termination.

Needless to say, the whole process of what has come to be called “high stakes testing” of both students and teachers has proven devastatingly dispiriting.According to the 2012 MetLife Survey of the American Teacher, over half of public school teachers say they experience great stress several days a week and are so demoralized that their level of satisfaction has plummeted from 62 percent to 39 percent since 2008.

Now, just as public school systems have widely adopted the Microsoft model in order to win the Race to the Top, it turns out that Microsoft realizes its model has led the once highly competitive company in a race to the bottom.

In a widely circulated 2012 article in Vanity Fair, two-time George Polk Award winner Kurt Eichenwald concluded that stacked ranking “effectively crippled Microsoft’s ability to innovate." He writes, “Every current and former Microsoft employee I interviewed—every one—cited stack ranking as the most destructive process inside of Microsoft, something that drove out untold numbers of employees. It leads to employees focusing on competing with each other rather than competing with other companies.”

This month Microsoft abandoned the hated system.

On November 12, all Microsoft employees received a memo from Lisa Brummel, executive vice-president for human resources, announcingthe company will be adopting “a fundamentally new approach to performance and development designed to promote new levels of teamwork and agility for breakthrough business impact.”

Brummel listed four key elements in the company’s new policy.
More emphasis on teamwork and collaboration.
More emphasis on employee growth and development.
No more use of a Bell curve for evaluating employees.
No more ratings of employees.

Sue Altman at EduShyster vividly sums up the frustration of a nation of educators at this new development. “So let me get this straight. The big business method of evaluation that now rules our schools is no longer the big business method of evaluation? And collaboration and teamwork, which have been abandoned by our schools in favor of the big business method of evaluation, is in?”

Big business can turn on a dime when the CEO orders it to do so. But changing policies embraced and internalized by dozens of states and thousands of public school districts will take far, far longer. This means the legacy of Bill Gates will continue to handicap millions of students and hundreds of thousands of teachers even as the company Gates founded, along with many other businesses, has thrown his pernicious performance model in the dustbin of history.


David Morris is co-founder of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and directs its initiative on The Public Good. He is the author of New City States and four other non-fiction books. His essays on public policy are regularly published by On the Commons, AlterNet, Common Dreams and the Huffington Post.
125 COMMENTS125 COMMENTS




Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Home-made CNC laser engraver


Home-made CNC laser engraver

32 comments Tags: CNC, Daniel Chai, engraver, lasers, stepper motors1 day ago by liz

Before you go any further, please take a minute to consider your eyes. You only have two of them, and they’re not replaceable. You need both for certain applications. Lasers are dangerous, and they can burn flesh: please be careful around them.

And with that out of the way…

I found this project on our forums, and it knocked my socks off. Daniel Chai has made something incredible with a Pi and parts salvaged from a pair of optical drives: a very low-priced, fine-resolution laser engraver. This differs from Arduino-driven engravers we’ve seen before: Daniel only uses a Pi, and he’s written his own control system, where his Python interprets G code and drives the stepper motors on both axes at the same time.


Engraving in progress


Final output

Daniel says:

The reason why I choose Raspberry Pi is: it is a much more powerful device than Arduino; it has a complete OS; the GPIO pins can be controlled by python, a more intuitive and simpler language than C (the disadvantage of python would be the slow speed); I don’t have to buy a separate controller for this project–I can use a single Raspberry Pi to do a lot of different things without reloading firmware. Most importantly, I have a Raspberry Pi but don’t have an Arduino right now!

The most expensive parts of this project, namely the stepper motors and laser diodes, were salvaged from two old DVD writable drives which had been abandoned as e-waste. (DVD drives are much preferable to CD drives, which can be ultra-dangerous because their laser is an infra-red laser, invisible to the naked eye – don’t go poking around the innards of those if you value your eyesight.) Other parts of those drives are also used to make a tray to hold the item being engraved: this is a thrifty project.





Daniel has made everything you’ll need, from a parts list, instructions on liberating the bits you’ll need from the DVD drives, all the relevant code, wiring diagrams and tips on construction, on his website. This is an advanced project with lots of different stages to it, but it’s inexpensive and yields extraordinarily professional (and expensive-looking) results. We’d love to hear from you if you attempt your own build. 32 comments

Raspberry Pi as low-cost HD surveillance camera


Instructables
Raspberry Pi as low-cost HD surveillance camera
http://itbl.es/IjzuwA


Tuesday, November 26, 2013

TOP 20 DOCUMENTARIES FOR THE EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS



MENU
HOME/
SPIRITUALITY
/
TOP 20 DOCUMENTARIES FOR THE EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Top 20 Documentaries for the Evolution of Consciousness





Here is a list containing all of the free documentaries we recommend for the expansion and evolution of consciousness. Are there any others you think should be added to this playlist? Are there any you think should be removed? Why? Feel free to voice your opinion ॐ

1. Inner Worlds, Outer Worlds – Part 1: Akasha (2012)
2. Inner Worlds, Outer Worlds – Part 2: The Spiral (2012)
3. Inner Worlds, Outer Worlds – Part 3: The Serpent and the Lotus (2012)
4. Inner Worlds, Outer Worlds – Part 4: Beyond Thinking (2012)
5. Samsara (2011)
6. Kymatica (2009)
7. Esoteric Agenda (2008)
8. The Shadow Effect (2009)
9. The Global Brain (1983)
10. The Primacy of Consciousness (2011)
11. Manna: The Psilocybin Mushroom Documentary (2011)
12. Entheogen: Awakening the Divine Within (2007)
13. The Revelation of the Pyramids (2010)
14. Ancient Knowledge (2012)
15. Zero Point: Volume I – Messages From The Past (2012)
16. Zero Point: Volume II – The Structure of Infinity (2012)
17. DMT: The Spirit Molecule (2010)
18. The Day Before Disclosure (2010)
19. Crop Circles: Crossover From Another Dimension (2006)
20. Metanoia: A New Vision of Nature (2008)

NOTE: Descriptions for most of these documentaries can be found at www.filmsforaction.org

NOTE: This playlist is constantly being updated, upgraded, and reorganized as we discover new films

Thanks to: ॐ Collectively Conscious ॐ


Awakening the masses to the true reality around them through critical thinking, independent research, and hive-mind brainstorming.

NEWS
How to Detox Your Pineal Gland - Fluoride, Mercury, and Consciousness
16 MAY 2013
1,200 Year Old Egyptian City Discovered Underwater
12 JUL 2013

HEADLINES
73 MINDBLOWING TERENCE MCKENNA QUOTES
Alexandra Kehayoglou’s Carpets Look Like Lush Pastures and Grassland
Documentaries about Truth, Reality, Corruption, Liberty, Power, and More

CONTACT US

Currently Higher Perspective is seeking contributing authors, advertising partners, and strategic product offerings. Reach outto join the team.



Almost 80 million with employer health care plans could have coverage canceled, experts predict



HEALTH CARE
Almost 80 million with employer health care plans could have coverage canceled, experts predict



By Jim AnglePublished November 26, 2013
FoxNews.com



Almost 80 million people with employer health plans could find their coverage canceled because they are not compliant with ObamaCare, several experts predicted.

Their losses would be in addition to the millions who found their individual coverage cancelled for the same reason.

Stan Veuger of the American Enterprise Institute said that in addition to the individual cancellations, "at least half the people on employer plans would by 2014 start losing plans as well." There are approximately 157 million employer health care policy holders.

Avik Roy of the Manhattan Institute added, "the administration estimated that approximately 78 million Americans with employer sponsored insurance would lose their existing coverage due to the Affordable Care Act."

Last week, an analysis by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, showed the administration anticipates half to two-thirds of small businesses would have policies canceled or be compelled to send workers onto the ObamaCare exchanges. They predicted up to 100 million small and large business policies could be canceled next year.

According to projections the administration itself issued back in July 2010, it was clear officials knew the impact of ObamaCare three years ago.

In fact, according to the Federal Register, its mid-range estimate was that by the end of 2014, 76 percent of small group plans would be cancelled, along with 55 percent of large employer plans.

The reason behind the losses is that current plans don't meet the requirements of ObamaCare, which dictate that each plan must cover a list of essential benefits, whether people want them or not.

"Things like maternity care or acupuncture or extensive drug coverage," said Veuger. "And so now the law is going to force them to buy policies that they could have gotten in the past if they wanted to but they chose not to."

Some plans already have been canceled and employers are getting sticker shock at the new, higher prices under ObamaCare.

One of them is David Allen, president of a company bearing his name in Boulder, Colorado. He told a Congressional hearing recently that his carrier discontinued his company policy because it wasn't compliant with ObamaCare.

"It does not meet the minimum standards as stipulated under the law. Due to this one change," he said, "our premiums are now scheduled to increase by 52.3 percent in January 2014."

Roy said that is not unusual. "The old plans that are being cancelled are meaningfully cheaper than the new plans that are ObamaCare compliant."

A new wave of cancellations and sticker shock will emerge just before next year's elections.

"They're going to start doing that in the summer or early fall but certainly before the midterm elections," said Veuger.



Jim Angle currently serves as chief national correspondent for Fox News Channel (FNC). He joined FNC in 1996 as a senior White House correspondent.


Politics Videos

Does the Iran nuclear deal pose a threat to America?


Calif. family struggles to afford ObamaCare premiums


Alternatives to glitchy HealthCare.gov


Are Democrats fed up with ObamaCare?


Iran nuke deal a 'historic mistake' US will regret?


Trending in Politics
1
Almost 80 million with employer health care plans could have coverage canceled, experts

2
Gun-rights activists ask Supreme Court to uphold 'Firearms Freedom Act'

3
ObamaCare slams smokers with sky-high premium costs, could backfire

4
American veteran detained in North Korea may be victim of mistaken identity

5
Boehner seeing his premiums double, deductibles triple under ObamaCare




Gov. Walker: Obama's 'fix' fixes nothing in Wisconsin


New fallout after Senate Dems change filibuster rules


ObamaCare: A doctor's nightmare




©2013 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. All market data delayed 20 minutes. Privacy - Terms - FAQ



Pen Draws 3D Objects In Midair





GADGETS
CARS
SCIENCE
TECHNOLOGY
DIY

GALLERIES
VIDEOS
COLUMNS

2013 Invention Awards
Magazine

Watch This Pen Draw Objects In Midair [Video]

We catch up with the brains behind the 3Doodler, a plastic-melting pen that lets you draw 3-D objects in midair.
By
Dave Mosher Posted 03.04.2013 at 3:00 pm 8 Comments
53

Toymaker Maxwell Bogue of 3Doodler

David Mosher

Even the best consumer 3-D printers require a whole lot of brains to create the simplest plastic tchotchke. Toymaker Maxwell Bogue doesn't think creative expression in three dimensions should be so hard, so he created the 3Doodler: a plastic-melting pen that lets you draw objects in midair.

We've covered the pen before. But we still wanted to catch up with Bogue at the recent 2013 Kairos Global Summit on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange to see just what this little gadget could do:

53
ELSEWHERE ON POPSCI.COM
The World's Oldest Animal Is Even Older Than We Thought
Penis Size Matters, Study Says
See The World Through The Eyes Of A Cat
Woman Drinks Coke Instead Of Water For 16 Years
Stephen Hawking Says Humans Won't Survive Another 1,000 Years On Earth
This Insanely Complex 3-D Printed Room Will Make Your Jaw Drop
FROM AROUND THE WEB
The Future of Energy Won’t Be Oil(University of San Francisco)
Brain Foods That Help You Focus(WebMD)
Members of R.E.M. Reunite in Athens, Ga. (HGTV FrontDoor)
Must-Have Products Being Sold for Next to Nothing this Black Friday(LifeFactopia)
CNET Chooses its Favorite Internet Security Suite (CNET)
12 Weapons That Changed Everything (The Fiscal Times)
Recommended by

8 COMMENTS

RanoOnay
03/04/2013 at 3:09 pm


I used to do this with hot glue guns when I was a kid. Yay, only took how long until it became a real thing? But joking aside, this is pretty cool and there are some great uses it can be applied toward.
Log in or register to post comments
Permalink
Newbeak5
03/04/2013 at 3:10 pm


Glorified hot glue gun!
Log in or register to post comments
Permalink
zerox012
03/04/2013 at 8:55 pm


Ok nice, soon we'll have 3d grafitti that we can bump into...
Log in or register to post comments
Permalink
nevetsgne
03/04/2013 at 9:56 pm


So basically, a pen that draws pubic hair.
Log in or register to post comments
Permalink
ghost
03/05/2013 at 2:07 am


this isn't just a pen that draws in 3 dimensions it's also a pen that can become a 3-d printer with the right structure.

i wonder what we COULD do with this...

to mars or bust!
Log in or register to post comments
Permalink
bgwainscott1
03/07/2013 at 5:43 pm


what an amazing time to exsist on this planet. Caught up in so many life changing discoveries in the present,past and the fu
ture...Can't wait to see more...ty for the video!
Log in or register to post comments
Permalink
Lexi123
07/27/2013 at 12:38 pm


just before I checked out the bill of exchange of $5122, I did not believe that...my... brothers friend was actualey receiving cash part-time from there new portable computer.. there dads pal has been doing this for beneath fifteen months and recently cleard the morgage on their appartment and bourt a brand new Ford Focus. we have a tendency to looked here...... w­w­w.b­a­y­9­5.c­o­m
Log in or register to post comments
Permalink
JPSullivan
11/25/2013 at 11:05 am


This is one the most pathetic things I have ever seen.
Log in or register to post comments
Permalink
Log in or register to post comments


POPULAR ON POPSCI

Motorola And 3D Systems Will 3-D-Print Modular Cell Phones
Allow Wu-Tang Clan's GZA To Rap To You About The Big Bang
The World's Tallest Waterslide And Other Amazing Images From This Week
Readers Respond: Don't Touch Our Doorknobs
To Roam Again The Pyrenees: Scientists Plan To Clone Extinct Mountain Goat
Using Folk Music To Track Human Migration
Spain Considers Release Of Genetically Modified Olive Fruit Flies
Enter Popular Science's 8th Annual Invention Awards
The Worst Jobs In Science
This Sculpture Turns Movement Into Music

CURRENT ISSUE

December 2013: Best Of What's NewOur annual Best of What's New Awards are here! Check out the 100 greatest innovations from the past year, including an uncrashable car, a robot doctor, a bullet-proof helmet, and a whole lot more.

OUR BLOGS

Welcome to the Popular Science Blog Network! The Blog Network is a platform for some of the sharpest minds in science and technology to sound off about their areas of expertise. Check out our blogs here.



PHOTO GALLERIESRSS

The World's Tallest Water Slide And Other Amazing Images From This Week
9 Things You Didn't Know About Poison
Flowers Made From Code And Other Amazing Images From This Week + More Photo Galleries


Read More


Contributing Writers:
Kelsey D. Atherton | Email
Francie Diep | Email




INSIDE POPULAR SCIENCE



The World's Tallest Water Slide And Other Amazing Images From This Week

9 Things You Didn't Know About Poison

Flowers Made From Code And Other Amazing Images From This Week

The 13 Weirdest-Named Academic Journals

6 DIY Gadgets That Will Care For Your Pet While You're Away

Karen Nyberg And Luca Parmitano's Best Pictures From Space

A Mobius Picnic Table And Other Amazing Images From This Week

Jack-O'-Lantern Dinosaurs And Other Amazing Images From This Week

Historic Space Images From The Arecibo Observatory

A Night With The World's Greatest Robot Bartenders

7 Gorgeous Space Images From The NASA Archive

The Goods: November 2013's Hottest Gadgets

Instagram In Real Life And Other Amazing Images From This Week

The Worst Jobs in Science and Three Awesome Ones

The Evidence for Dark Matter

A Nuclear Plant Turned Fun Park And More Amazing Images From This Week

Check Out The Winners Of The SXSW Eco Awards

Star Wars Made In Meat And Other Amazing Images From This Week

The Civil War In Color

A Cyberpunk Skyscraper And Other Amazing Images From This Week
Previous
Next




Subscribe to the Print Edition
Subscribe to the iPad Edition
Renew Subscription
Customer Service
Site Map
About Us
Contact Us
Advertising
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
Abuse
Buy Popular Science Covers
RSS Feeds