Just a reminder.  Clean up the latest draft, email me a copy and bring one to school tomorrow.  We will be presenting them to the class, then working out the logistics of putting this thing together.

I just spoke with Borders in Midtown, and they will allow you all to use my educator discount when you purchase a copy of Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point.  I had to cancel my order with B&N, but with our history of weird order times, I’m not too broken up about it.

So.  The order should be in the store by Wednesday, April 2nd (which is the beginning of the discount week).  Stop by, ask for the book at the front counter, ask for the 25% educator’s discount, and read to your heart’s delight.  If they question your educator status, politely ask to speak with the manager and explain what I’ve just told you.  There should be no problem.

We will peer review our articles in class on Monday, March 31st, so please bring a completed draft at that time.  We’ll work together to improve clarity and structure, and share ideas for catchy titles.  The final draft of Articles are due on Tuesday, April 1st.  We will present them to the class at that time, and pass copies around (possibly via email–that would be a lot of paper) for everyone’s enjoyment.

If you are having trouble coming up with a topic, ask during class.  We can all work together to come up with great ideas.

One last thing: We will be wrapping up our discussion of Everything Bad in class tomorrow.  If you have not finished the book, complete as much as you can tonight.  We had a great discussion in class today, but it will be much better if we are all on the same page.

Here are some (legible) notes from our discussion in class.  While we are going to be using these steps to create newspaper/magazine articles, the process is the same for coming up with a topic for just about any type of nonfiction writing.

• Choose your topic.  It should be something you’re interested in, something you have a question about.
• Research your topic. As you go, make sure you have a solid understanding of your topic. If you don’t understand your topic, you are likely to confuse or put off your audience.
  • Take notes, mark up your book, look up other sources, mark them up.  This step is important.  You’ll thank yourself later if you do this.
  • As you consume, ask questions of the work:
    • Am I a cockroach?  Does the author’s comparison work?
    • Is radio really irrelevant?  Does music really make commercials better?
    • Where are video games headed?
    • Why do people go to Disney World?
    • Where can I buy one? [Okay, that last one would be a short article.
  • These questions will become the “prompt” for your essay.  The great thing about it is that you can change your question if the answer seems obvious or the answer would take too long to come up with.  [Avoid “What is the meaning of life,” for example.  (Unless your answer is “42.”  Wait, that’s too short.)]
  • After you find your question, begin thinking about a possible answer.  Read through your notes, look for other sources, and talk with friends that know something about your topic, and some that don’t.  The first group can help clarify and help with ideas, while the second can ask questions and check your understanding.
  • Begin writing your article.

  We’ll talk about the last steps tomorrow.

[This post was WinsomeWiki’d on 5 Jul. 2009.]

NPR: World Cafe’s David Dye interviews Chris Walla about his newest album, Field Manual.  Have any of you heard it?  NPR: World Cafe Story

This is really amazing.  Dan Phillips creates homes using 85% recycled or reused materials, which is incredible in itself, but Phillips works with the working poor to . . . just watch:

via Treehugger Article check out Phillips’s website.

Anyone looking to major in geology?  Something to think about: NPR Story.

Domingo Martin plays a song using his Moleskine journal as his only instrument.  Video at Moleskinerie.com Article.

Interesting commentary on the current election slogans.  In These Times Article

Library WII.  Gothamist Article

John Marks writes about Stoker’s Dracula and how it reminds him of . . . Easter.  Just check it out: NPR Story.

Okay, it isn’t art, nor is it supposed to be.  It is fun, though.  The author of the Slate article makes a point to explain that the very simple game stole the show at the most recent Game Developers’ Conference.  Can the crayon game be compared to others, like Gears of War?  Don’t they do exactly the same thing for us?

Crayon Physics Game

Article from Slate.com (with video!)