After a going through a hectic period, things are going to return back to normal. At least, that's the plan.
In the last couple weeks, I cranked out a paper that I've submitted for publication. This is the initial write-up for the remedial math program that we've developed. Now that we had our first semester data, I felt like I had enough to put together into a paper that would get published. I'm not really in math education, so I'm not that familiar with the journals that are out there. This meant that I had to spend some time looking for a journal that I felt would actually be interested in this. I settled on the PRIMUS math journal, but before writing everything up I emailed the editor to see whether she felt the topic was of interest to the journal. She responded affirmatively, and also offered up some advice which changed the direction I was going to take.
Apparently, they deny a lot of papers because the presentation gets bogged down in the data. I was also thinking of taking a point of view that was going to focus on analyzing the data, but instead took a perspective that was a bit more issue-focused. I submitted it on either Thursday or Friday, and I don't really expect to hear anything back for a while. So this means that there's no work to be done on that front.
Our first choice for the chemistry position took our offer, which is great. He seems like a very nice guy who shares a lot of the values the rest of us do, and I think he'll fit in well. The next search that has my attention is the math search. It sounds like we're finally settled on the dates they'll be out, and I'm excited to see how they will perform in their teaching demos. This year, we're trying something different with the teaching demo. In the last, we've asked them to give a lecture from precalculus. This time, we've asked them to give a general-level talk that connects to some upper division topic. It will be interesting to see if they're able to bridge the gap and draw in the interest of the non-math students.
I had some friends out here this weekend. It was good to hang out and get caught up a bit. I always learn a lot about slot machines when they're out here. There's a Lord of the Rings slot machine that allows you to save your "progress." As you play, you are randomly awarded "miles" which take you to different LoTR destinations, which have different types of bonuses. And just in case you are in Vegas at such a slot machine, try "aaronwing" (yes, aaronwing) as the log-in with "123456" as the password. And then report back to me whether it worked and how many miles you earned.
I think this is a really clever idea for a slot machine. I don't know whether it will be a successful idea, but it's definitely clever. By allowing you to "save" your progress, you create a sense of loyalty to the game. There is a reason for me to go back now, because there's a reward for playing more. It also creates a video game feeling with the game. I am not just playing to get lucky, but I'm playing to move towards a destination.
There are some other gimmicks that are interesting. You are awarded bonus spins at random, but you're not required to use them right away. You can save them up, and if you collect more they will give you a better return. They also have a large number of different bonus games, though I didn't get to see any of them. You can also earn trophies... that have no monetary value... I don't understand those at all.
But I think the main attraction this time around was the Hangover movie slot machine. There wasn't anything too clever about it, but it was highly entertaining. I think the bonus game was interesting and usually lasted quite a while, which was probably why it was fun. Or maybe it was the silliness with which my friends played the game. Either way, it was fun.
The recent Jeremy Lin thing has been exciting. I think it's interesting that I had a chance to try to meet him when he was out here a year or two ago. But it has been interesting to see his recent rise to stardom, especially knowing that he's an InterVarsity alumnus. I also think the recent complaint about the phrase "chink in the armor" has been amusing. I have to admit that I don't hear the word "chink" and become insulted or anything. I get that some people are very sensitive to that word, but I'm not. I actually had to think about it a little while before I could figure out why there was even an outrage.
I will say that the headline is not the same as the live commentators. The headline appeared to be a poorly crafted play on words. The phrase itself is used all over the place. It was intentional, but I doubt it was intentionally racist. I think it shows ignorance, but was not malicious. This does not stand as some sign that institutional racism exists at ESPN or anything like that. It was just stupid.
This is one of those touchy subjects. I get that this was a racial slur at some point, and that some people may still use it as a racial slur. But I also think that words like this only have as much power as we let it have. If I choose to get angry insulted by the use of that word, then I'll get angry and insulted. If I choose to view it as cultural ignorance or insensitivity, there's a better chance that anger won't be the emotion that wins the day. I mean, the outrage got some guy fired for that headline... Does that accomplish anything besides a sense of enacting revenge?
I just got a phone call from my Aunt. I guess she's in town and that I should wrap this up.
