Internal Monologue

This is very interesting. Some researchers have found that by making the visual layout of text reflect the underylying semantic structure , reading comprehension can be dramatically improved. Here's the abstract of their paper: A new process, visual-syntactic text formatting (VSTF), transforms block-shaped text into cascading patterns that help readers identify grammatical structure. The new method integrates converging evidence from educational, visual, and cognitive research, and is made feasible through computer-executed algorithms and electronic displays. Among college readers, the VSTF method instantly increased reading comprehension and efficiency of reading online text, while reducing eyestrain. Among high school students, who read with the format over an entire academic year, the VSTF method increased both academic achievement and long-term reading proficiency by more than a full standard deviation over randomized controls. (HT: Sullivan ) This makes a lot of sense to me. W

Apparently, this graphic appeared on CNN International for about 12 seconds around midnight EDT on Friday May 11 ( mediabistro via Crooks and Liars ).

SusanG on DailyKos : From the moment a child is born, you are forced to put your own needs (primarily sleep, in the beginning) on hold. You immediately begin the task of balancing long-term and short-term goals, weighing, for example, the need to bring income in for the growing family against the commitment to spend time with your child, or your own requirement down the road a bit for rehabilitative solitude against the constant chatter of a toddler just discovering language. You learn to gauge your limits of self-sacrifice, the places where diminishing returns set in, where you’re being a plain old mean person because you’ve embraced the role of persecuted-by-sippy-cup-wielding-beings martyr. You learn to give more of yourself than you ever imagined yourself capable of giving, but if you want to bring your child to adulthood without you doing a stint or two in an asylum, you also learn to say, "No." Quite often, in fact. More than anything, you learn to explain yourself, es

Sarah before the ceremony. Doesn't she look cute in her PhD hat? Only one post on Internal Monologue today, celebrating the graduation of the author's wife. I don't get to call her Doctor quite yet, as the dissertation must actually be filed (and completed) before it becomes official. The title of her dissertation: 'Cause I want to do something with myself: Vulnerable emerging adults navigate school and work transitions. Ms. Taylor was also recipient of the Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award. I will spare my readers all the mushy sentiments that I felt upon seeing her receive her degree, but I will so far as to say that I'm so proud of her and everything she has accomplished. Here's Sarah, receiving her hood from her dissertation committee chair, Susan Stone:

From Progressive Gold . I'm glad to see my home state of Minnesota is in the USC. I hope the 2006 elections mean that Jesusland would have a little less territory. And lets hope 2008 shrinks it further. (This image went around quite a bit after the 2004 election, according to my wife. I think she's right, but I don't think I've ever posted it here.)

Here's Quinn at seven months old. He's so cute!