Portland Knowledge Lab

We're heading down to the PKL just now, a project of 4D Solutions. I wanna see if the new Metro Wifi is on my radar (some PCI card in the HP multimedia box would sense it). My new iPod just showed up, for collection at USPO on Belmont.

Yes, PKL is a very small office, but I'm making Lucky Lab the official meeting ground -- works with my policy of having some Wanderers be nonhuman (dogs permitted in the outside picnic table area).

Time to put iTunes on the HP, if it's not there already, as listening to podcasts from Python Nation is a first order of business (I'm so far behind it's not funny).

However, on the way we discovered USPO pickup was "por domani," so we went to DoubleTree for Bridge Pedal gear, then sauntered to Lloyd Center's Food Court (that's two this week -- was in Washington Square's on fourth day). Chatted with pharmacist in parking lot by cell. Swung by Providence.

Nathan Cogan enroute for his cheques. Quiet summer afternoon. Thinking about Beirut, other places (Cogan and I speculated about a UN force made up entirely of North Koreans, to stabilize the area (might be fun)).

A lot of today is about curriculum writing (one of my day jobs). I'm exploring the concept of Pythonic mathematics rewritten in Squeakland's version of Smalltalk.

How would we do the same progression: from dot notation and data structures to simple figurate and polyhedral sequences to XYZ with vector objects and finally to polyhedra as student-defined classes?

1, 12, 42, 92, 162 ...

The Smalltalk Community has sent some high-level delegates to edu-sig, and I feel our online/archived meetings have been productive.

However, I'm not really expecting to do this rewrite myself, i.e. it's more a way for me to brush up on Smalltalk, which in at least one model, precedes Python in a curriculum context. So as a Python teacher, I should bone up on what my stuff'd look like were I a Smalltalk teacher instead. Like I said, it's an exercise.

Follow-up (next day): iPod and accoutrements received in timely fashion in good condition, kudos to USPO and I'll assign points to the seller through eBay. I've been catching up on some Python411 podcasts, as well as firing up some Pink Floyd, while strolling along Hawthorne Blvd. Tara is off to a conference with family friends (lawyers and judges), Sam and Judy expected, plus Carol is inbound on Amtrak.