👓 AI Is Making It Extremely Easy for Students to Cheat | WIRED

Read AI Is Making It Extremely Easy for Students to Cheat (WIRED)
Teachers are being forced to adapt to new tools that execute homework perfectly.
The headline is a bit click-baity, but the article is pretty solid nonetheless.

There is some interesting discussion in here on how digital technology meets pedagogy. We definitely need to think about how we reframe what is happening here. I’m a bit surprised they didn’t look back at the history of the acceptance (or not) of the calculator in math classes from the 60’s onward.

Where it comes to math, some of these tools can be quite useful, but students need to have the correct and incorrect uses of these technologies explained and modeled for them. Rote cheating certainly isn’t going to help them, but if used as a general tutorial of how and why methods work, then it can be invaluable and allow them to jump much further ahead of where they might otherwise be.

I’m reminded of having told many in the past that the general concepts behind the subject of calculus are actually quite simple and relatively easy to master. The typical issue is that students in these classes may be able to do the first step of the problem which is the actual calculus, but get hung up on not having practiced the algebra enough and the 10 steps of algebra after the first step of calculus is where their stumbling block lies in getting the correct answer.

👓 These 1923 Copyrighted Works Enter the Public Domain in 2019 | LifeHacker

Read These 1923 Copyrighted Works Enter the Public Domain in 2019 (Lifehacker)
For the first time in twenty years, as the Atlantic points out, a whole year’s worth of copyrighted works will enter the public domain in the U.S. on January 1, 2019. Under the terms of the Sonny Bono Copyright Act, works first published in 1923 will enter the public domain, meaning anyone can re-publish them, or chop them up and use them in other projects, without asking permission or paying the old rights holders. You can record new versions of the musical compositions; you can show the movies for a profit; you can even remake them. Amazon can sell you the ebook and keep all the money, and Project Gutenberg can give you the ebook for free. The Atlantic has a short list; we have a longer one below.

👓 A Landslide of Classic Art Is About to Enter the Public Domain | The Atlantic

Read A Landslide of Classic Art Is About to Enter the Public Domain (The Atlantic)
For the first time in two decades, a huge number of books, films, and other works will escape U.S. copyright law.

👓 #MeToo law restricts use of nondisclosure agreements in sexual misconduct cases | LA Times

Read #MeToo law restricts use of nondisclosure agreements in sexual misconduct cases (latimes.com)
Among victims and advocates, an important step in dismantling the pervasive problem of harassment and the system that has kept it under wraps for so long is to void or curb the use of NDAs to settle sexual abuse cases.
The tough part is recreating a better system and predicting the potential future abuses that may continue in such a system. How do we enforce fairness fairly? What unintended consequences might there be?

👓 James Watson Won’t Stop Talking About Race | New York Times

Read James Watson Won’t Stop Talking About Race (nytimes.com)
The Nobel-winning biologist has drawn global criticism with unfounded pronouncements on genetics, race and intelligence. He still thinks he’s right, a new documentary finds.

👓 Opinion | In Search of Lost Screen Time | New York Times

Read Opinion | In Search of Lost Screen Time (New York Times)
Imagine what we could do with our money, and hours, if we set our phones aside for a year.
A good reminder of all the good we could be accomplishing…

👓 What Happens When You Say No to MS-13 | ProPublica

Read What Happens When You Say No to MS-13 by Kavitha Surana (ProPublica)
The friends had liked Gerson Saravia from the start. With his halting English and scrawny arms that stuck out like sticks from the tank tops he wore, he reminded them of themselves when they first came to the U.S., excited but also bewildered and self-conscious.
An interesting, but simple story. Supplemented by lots of photos and an interesting lay out, though at times the text on photos (on mobile at least) doesn’t make it easy to read.

👓 New Life for Old Classics, as Their Copyrights Run Out | The New York Times

Read New Life for Old Classics, as Their Copyrights Run Out (New York Times)
Works by Marcel Proust, Willa Cather, D.H. Lawrence, Agatha Christie and Robert Frost are entering the public domain on Jan. 1. And that’s just the first wave.

👓 Frauchiger-Renner Paradox Clarifies Where Our Views of Reality Go Wrong | Quanta Magazine

Read Frauchiger-Renner Paradox Clarifies Where Our Views of Reality Go Wrong by Anil AnanthaswamyAnil Ananthaswamy (Quanta Magazine)
A thought experiment has shaken up the world of quantum foundations, forcing physicists to clarify how various quantum interpretations (such as many-worlds and the Copenhagen interpretation) abandon seemingly sensible assumptions about reality.

📺 cite and blockquote – reloaded | HTML5 Doctor

Read cite and blockquote – reloaded by Steve Faulkner (html5 Doctor)
The definitions of the blockquote and cite elements in the HTML specification have recently been updated. This article explains what the changes mean for developers.
Yes, <cite> and <blockquote> ought to be much easier and more standardized. I’ve got some crazy and extreme examples myself I’m sure. The bigger lurking trap is that cite is really a semantic thing, but the way I see it done more often implemented with CSS is as a typographic element indicating italics.

hat tip: Michael Bishop

👓 I wasn’t going to do this, but for 2019… | Miklb Mindless Ramblings

Read I wasn’t going to do this, but for 2019… by Michael BishopMichael Bishop (Miklb Mindless Ramblings)
As I get older, the Jan 1 demarcation of a trip around the sun has even less meaning. New Years resolutions have never been my thing, I’ve always thought that what ever day the calendar says is the right day to sta...
Seems like a worthwhile thing to break not making resolutions for…

👓 Elizabeth Warren Announces Iowa Trip as She Starts Running for President in 2020 | New York Times

Read Elizabeth Warren Announces Iowa Trip as She Starts Running for President in 2020 (New York Times)
Senator Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, said she was forming a presidential exploratory committee, which allows her to raise money and hire staff before a formal kickoff.
Some good news to ring in the new year…

👓 Great British Baking Show 2018: Rahul Mandal Controversy | Vulture

Read This Great British Baking Show Scandal Is Tearing England Apart (Vulture)
Did Rahul break the rules?
Seems more like bad editing on the show’s part, and then they’re somewhat embracing the controversy while trying to mitigate a possible pizzagating.

👓 You don’t have to live in public | Austin Kleon

Read You don’t have to live in public by Austin Kleon (austinkleon.com)
I tried very hard in that book, when it came to social media, to be platform agnostic, to emphasize that social media sites come and go, and to always invest first and foremost in your own media. (Website, blog, mailing list, etc.)  
Though it doesn’t specifically come right out and say it, this article is very pro IndieWeb and particularly so for artists and people who are promoting themselves on the web.