Fraser Speirs (via Daring Fireball): The Educational Part So many people have asked me to explain the educational impact of the iPad. I simply can't yet get to grips with everything that's happening. Put simply, the iPad deployment has transformed our school. Not evenly and not everywhere yet, but it's coming. There are stages to technology adoption. Two important stages are 'replacement' and 'transformation'. With replacement, you take an existing resource and replace it with an essentially identical digital resource. Think of a paper textbook replaced by the same textbook in PDF form. That's not to be sniffed at - there are big advantages to that. Rest of the article: http://speirs.org/blog/2010/9/23/the-ipad-project-how-its-going.html
Check this house out built like a shoe: http://www.toxel.com/inspiration/2010/09/15/shoe-house-in-pennsylvania/
Old Mother Hubbard …
One of the principles we try to follow on vacation is to not eat any any "chain" style eatery (McDonalds, Applebes, Dennys, etc.). We seek out the local places … like small town cafes. This one, the On The Bricks Cafe on Goodlad, Kansas, we found on Yelp (http://www.yelp.com) and it had a number of good recommendations form previous diners. A nicely restored old building and terrific hand-breaded chicken fried steak made for a great meal. The homemade apple cranberry crunch pie was good too!
Eating at Cafes
This reproduction of a famous Van Gough painting is 24 x 32 ft. And sits on the world's tallest easel in Goodland, Kansas. It is one of seven by a Canadian artist, one painting has been placed on each of the seven continents.
Big Painting
Evening photo of the Pomeroy, OH to Mason, WV bridge.
Pomeroy-Mason Bridge
Here I am getting set to smack one out of the park using a bat used by Mickey Mantle in the major leagues. As John Foggerty sang, "Put me in coach, I'm ready to play."
Mickey Mantle's Bat in My Hands
Earlier this evening we stopped at the McDonalds in Pomeroy, OH on the bank of the mighty Ohio River. While browsing the menu we spied pizza on the menu--pizza along with 10 piece McNuggets. They also had scooped ice cream cones in addition to soft serve. Best of all? Actual paper towels in the restroom. None of those hot air machines for Pomeroy.
Pizza at McDonalds?
This was formerly the world's largest McDonalds in square feet. The "Glass House," as it is called, spans Interstate 44. The current largest McDonalds is in Orlando and is in the shape of a box of french fries.
World's Largest McDonald's No More
One of the advantages of driving on a trip (instead of flying for example) is the chance to see some interesting sites.
Here I'm standing in front of the Abandoned Amarillo Helium Plant. The plant was operated by the US Bureau of Mines and produced almost all of the world's helium from 1929 to 1943. The region surrounding the plant contains more than 95% of the world's known supply of helium. The helium exists (mixed with other gases trapped underground. This area is a heavy producer of natural gas (among others).
Oh, this is also a type of geocache called an Earthcache. Earthcaches focus on geologic and geomorphic features of a location. This one focuses on helium, a naturally occurring Earth gas.
Earth Gas
Shoe Tree
It isn't in every city you can see high heel shoes nailed to a telephone pole all the way up, but in Albuquerque, you can.
While this is a site to see ... it also happens to be the site of a geocache. In this photo Pam is retrieving the cache from its hiding place.
Ate breakfast at the #1 restaurant in Gallup, NM as voted by Yelp users. Great, puffy sopapillas
Living the high life
Lunch stop at Delgadillo's Snow Cap in Seligman, AZ. Juan Delgadillo was a former Santa Fe Railroad employee and worked this section of the railroad. He and his brother were instrumental in revitalizing Historic Route 66.
Historic Route 66
How much for lower case?
How much for lower case?
My 4 oz jar of jam set off a security alert which prompted a hand search of my carry-on bah. Ridiculous.
Security Alert!
Pam with boar statue by Pietro Tacca at Butchart Gardens, Victoria, BC. And … the site of a geocache too!
Boar at Butchart Gardens
Waiting in Victoria for the ferry to Port Angeles, WA.
Waiting on the ferry
Interesting totem poles at the museum in British Columbia.
Royal British Columbia Museum
Michael Jay, Mary LeDonne, Pam Korporaal, and Arie. Horseshoe Cafe, Bellingham, WA
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iSent from my iPhone
Good friends, good food ...
Plaque commemorating the location of the very first geocache in the world. Beavercreek, Oregon.
Original Geocache
Spirit lake at Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.