The 30 Second Words Podcast http://www.30secondwords.com Informal Academic Advising and Other Educational Resources Fri, 02 Jan 2009 23:18:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en ©Kevin Matthews http://www.30secondwords.com/?feed=podcast 30secondwords@gmail.com (Kevin Matthews) 30secondwords@gmail.com(Kevin Matthews) Education 1440 Education, GRE, Test Preparation,Test Prep,graduate record exam,30 Second Words This is podcast series for people preparing for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). You can learn a lot in 30 Seconds. Informal Academic Advising and Other Educational Resources Kevin Matthews Kevin Matthews 30secondwords@gmail.com No no http://www.30secondwords.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/basiclogo.jpg The 30 Second Words Podcast http://www.30secondwords.com 144 144 2080766http://www.feedburner.comSubscribe with My Yahoo!Subscribe with NewsGatorSubscribe with My AOLSubscribe with GoogleSubscribe with The Free DictionaryAdd to Any Feed Reader First Time Blogger - Year in Review and Amazon Bookstores of 2008 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/30SecondWords/~3/501330866/ http://www.30secondwords.com/2009/01/first-time-blogger-year-in-review-and-amazon-bookstores-of-2008/#comments Fri, 02 Jan 2009 23:18:16 +0000 Kevin M http://www.30secondwords.com/?p=68 2008 was the year of the blog for me.  I started with Robot in the Woods, which was no failure, but lacked focus.  Then 30 Second Words came along.  It started as a sort of graduate school application advice site, but morphed into a Podcast site for students studying for their GREs by providing brief audio of a GRE word and an informal, sometimes humorous definition.  At this point, fifty so-called “30 Second Words” have been produced, but not posted… so this blog is still viable.  Then I started Open Source Geography as a placeholder for my thoughts about teaching and learning Geography, as I was hired as an Adjunct Geography Professor at Virginia International University.

Additionally, contributed to the Time to Quit Podcast, a podcast about learning how to live without cigarettes.  This site is managed by my good buddy SP Gass who also manages “The Low-Tech Times” and “Old Dominion Wildlife.”

In terms of priority, I am going to keep Robot in the Woods alive, but dormant for another year.  For the 30 Second Words Podcast site, I will keep alive and actually post the Podcasts.  I would have done that sooner, however, the Geography course took much of my time.  Since I was not hired on for a second semester, I may let Open Source Geography to pursue other blogs.

There are two blogs I am anticipating starting in 2009.  The key this year is focus.  Open Source Geography did better than the others, but there was still no cohesive theme or niche.  Therefore, I am announcing a photoblog called Shaker of the Day, dedicated to photos of my aunt’s 2500+ salt and pepper shaker collection.  Also, for 2009, I will be creating a blog called “First Time Farmer” about my dreams of rural life.

Finally, I really enjoyed creating Amazon bookstores for these sites.

My Favorite Bookstores

Miscellaneous

2009 Blogs

]]> http://www.30secondwords.com/2009/01/first-time-blogger-year-in-review-and-amazon-bookstores-of-2008/feed/ http://www.30secondwords.com/2009/01/first-time-blogger-year-in-review-and-amazon-bookstores-of-2008/ Sending SwagBot A Virtual Chumby http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/30SecondWords/~3/346404298/ http://www.30secondwords.com/2008/07/demonstration-a-chumby-to-swagbot/#comments Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:05:35 +0000 Kevin M http://www.30secondwords.com/?p=67 30 Second Words fully endorses the Chumby as an interesting platform and effective approach to content delivery. After bartering for artwork in exchange for an authentic endorsement (which we would have given anyway) for SwagBot, I thought I would demonstrate the Chumby using Chumby’s Create a Virtual Chumby application.

In this demonstration channel, are a blend the following feeds and widgets:

I do not know where Chumby plans on taking this device, but it has a vast potential. Their code is open-source and even the exterior is designed to be modified. There are still some bottlenecks to be worked out, such as podcast delivery and though there is a great deal of quality content, there could always be more.

How I would use a Chumby, I would put it on my desk and read all my blogs in a glance without having the leave the computer. I get entertainment, education, facebook updates, my flickr feed, my queue in Netflix and many other services as I am doing work.

]]> http://www.30secondwords.com/2008/07/demonstration-a-chumby-to-swagbot/feed/ http://www.30secondwords.com/2008/07/demonstration-a-chumby-to-swagbot/ Semantic Geographics and Online Mapping Route Choice Self-Selection to Build A Database of Alternate Route Choices http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/30SecondWords/~3/344165415/ http://www.30secondwords.com/2008/07/semantic-geographics-and-online-mapping-route-choice-self-selection-to-build-a-database-of-alternate-route-choices/#comments Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:43:29 +0000 Kevin M http://www.30secondwords.com/?p=65 Even though I made Wednesdays “no-blogging days” so that I can get some rest, the SP Gass at Low Tech Times has an interesting article called There’s No Substitute for Looking At A Real Map.  Open Source Geography (dot org, FYI), soon to be moving to its own site, fully endorses this notion of looking at a Real Map.

I am interested in SP Gass’s view on the accuracy of the AAA TripTic.  SP Gass is talking about reference maps and how one’s on paper are much more usable.  Beyond portability of a paper map, paper allows one to come up with their own route.    SP Gass knows what he means when he is choosing a route.  But without expert knowledge or human behavior factored in as a determinant in the route choice algorithm, the computer can never approximate what means, his geographic semantics.  Dr. Martin Raubal at University of California-Santa Barbara teaches a course in Geographic Semantics.

Anyway, flexibility in route choice using online mapping software would greatly improve the service.  As a Geographic Information Scientist, by training, I would suggest to Google that they open their street network dataset to allow a local crowd to suggest alternate routes.  Another option would be to generate a sample of automobiles and collect GPS points along their chosen routes, rather than the predictive routes.

I am still imaging the algorithm and/or data-structure required to enable a sample link on a chosen route be chosen to improve the predictive path.  Especially considering that the data would need to be split into nodes and links.  Not to mention, the process of formatting.  Unless of course, you are generating an cloud-enabled database with a G-Phone Android Program in which these points are collected real-time.

Is this possible?  It seems like it should be considering bluetooth tracking and cell-phone tracking would be a great medium for updating Google Maps.

Also, check out Google’s Newest Feature:  GoogleWalking.  Its still in Beta, but there is a smattering of commentary around the web.

Google Walking Maps by Daily Wireless

Google Maps Walks the Long Way Around by Google Maps Mania.

And this list of 100 Google Earth Mashups isn’t particularly about GoogleWalking, but it is still useful information for improving the semantic web rich with digitized human knowledge.

]]> http://www.30secondwords.com/2008/07/semantic-geographics-and-online-mapping-route-choice-self-selection-to-build-a-database-of-alternate-route-choices/feed/ http://www.30secondwords.com/2008/07/semantic-geographics-and-online-mapping-route-choice-self-selection-to-build-a-database-of-alternate-route-choices/ Visualization of Geographically Referenced Economic Data http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/30SecondWords/~3/343246355/ http://www.30secondwords.com/2008/07/visualization-of-geographically-referenced-economic-data/#comments Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:50:06 +0000 Kevin M http://www.30secondwords.com/?p=64 So some GIS Specialist at Yale has figured out how to produce standardized areal units based on the geographic, latitude/longitude grid and how to produce it on a global scale.   It is GIS of a sort.  Definitely not an ESRI product, but could be converted.

The site is called G-CON, Geographically Based Economic Data.  Note the release of their data for you use and visualization.  Creating a grid in ArcGIS to thier specifications is a relatively simple process.  They also provide fully detailed documentation.

]]> http://www.30secondwords.com/2008/07/visualization-of-geographically-referenced-economic-data/feed/ http://www.30secondwords.com/2008/07/visualization-of-geographically-referenced-economic-data/ Open Source Geography Content: Moving to its Own Domain http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/30SecondWords/~3/343164430/ http://www.30secondwords.com/2008/07/open-source-geography-content-moving-to-its-own-domain/#comments Wed, 23 Jul 2008 03:41:42 +0000 Kevin M http://www.30secondwords.com/?p=63 Cross posted at Open Source Geography.

The Open-Source Geography Content has outgrown iand splintered its niche from 30 Second Words Podcast Productions. Previously published content, see below, will remain on the site, but all new Geography material will be published on Open Source Geography. We are not affiliated with OpenSource GIS or OpenSource Matters, but we do come at education from an open-source mindset.

The idea is to develop a Joomla based content management system for managing student work and publishing thier assigned articles. This come with the idea that a student’s work should have value beyond the classroom. Thus, they should provide quality content both in structure and holistically. Even though student identities are fully cloaked, they are encouraged to interact and critique each other’s content. Stories submitted will be published openly. In a way, this is a method for developing a student written, and teacher editted, crowdsourced Geography textbook written.

As a pre-announcement, lookout for a partnership with 30 Second Words Podcast Productions to prepare a series of short podcasts about geography called 30 Second Geography. In the meantime, in case you missed them, the following are all stories tagged with Open Source Geography from 30 Second Words:

Building an Effective Student-Professor Relationship

Letter of Motivation to University of Zurich - Geographic Information Visualization and Analysis Group

Building a Globalized Geographic Information Infrastructure.

Obama Has A Crowd of Map-Makers

Geography, I Welcome You Back to My Life!

Critique of “Keyword: Evil - Google’s Addiction to Cheap Energy”

Ideas for Internet Infrastructure Analysis for Economic Geographers and Industrial Location Specialists

What is the state of Science Fiction in any of the UN’s G77 Nations

Open-Source Geography: Revolutionizing Learning by Crowdsourcing a Textbook

Donate Used Geography Texts for Open-Source Geography Project

Open Source Geography: Keyword Collection Method

8 Reasons to Blog Your Resume In Preparing for Graduate School

Where is Margarittaville? Parrothead Songs in Google Earth

Towards a Localized Content Aggregator

The Role of Geographic Information Systems as Instructional Technology

]]> http://www.30secondwords.com/2008/07/open-source-geography-content-moving-to-its-own-domain/feed/ http://www.30secondwords.com/2008/07/open-source-geography-content-moving-to-its-own-domain/ Letter of Motivation to University of Zurich - Geographic Information Visualization and Analysis Group http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/30SecondWords/~3/340894439/ http://www.30secondwords.com/2008/07/letter-of-motivation-to-university-of-zurich-geographic-information-visualization-and-analysis-group/#comments Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:08:47 +0000 Kevin M http://www.30secondwords.com/?p=62 Letter of Motivation

The term geographic relevance is new, but is still a familiar concept. With my Master of Science in the Geographic and Cartographic Science and ten years of work experience, I can offer a wide range of real-world contexts in which mobile computing could be studied. I have worked in the geographies of disease, elections, census gathering, business and local urban planning. I can imagine geographic informational relevant applications for each of these and other more popular activities.

To reiterate my understanding of the funded PhD Research Assistant position at the University of Zurich, Department of Geography, Geographic Information Visualization and Analysis Group, the goal of this project is to:

1. Develop methodologies for evaluating the human response to geographic relevance in mobile contexts, starting with activity theory as the research framework.
2. Development of mobile geographic informational applications using Java and data source Mash-Ups
3. Prepare a dissertation

I am interested in this research project as I seek to specialize in the Geography of ubiquitous computing and the energy, infrastructure, policy and locational requirements. I have been looking for a PhD program in this area as they relate to Educational Technologies in Geography. This funded PhD opportunity would enable full development of my ideas, while in direct synergy with the requirements for this project.

My strength would be in the development of the models for human subjects. I was responsible for handling confidential patient data and accountable for adhering to the University Research Protocol Regarding Experimentation with Human Subjects at the University of Virginia. And I was introduced to Activity Theory in my University of Virginia Graduate-level Theories of Learning course. In regards to application development in java, I have a vested interest in strengthening my programming skills. In my spare time, I tinker with the Internet and my latest project is working with the Android programming environment. Android is an open-source java-based programming language on which the GooglePhone (G-Phone) is compiled.