tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58948582012-01-29T17:01:27.563-08:00Tales of the Invisible BenThe trivial ramblings of an itinerant educatorBennoreply@blogger.comBlogger4941100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-58076414423946222562012-01-27T19:50:00.000-08:002012-01-29T17:01:27.576-08:00RejectionYou would think I would be used to it by now. It's not like I haven't been rejected before. College admissions, grad school programs, and perhaps it's best if I avoid discussing my luck, or lack thereof, with members of the opposite sex. And indeed, as I started to compile job applications over the past few months, I did so knowing that in all likelihood the vast majority would be Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-85146736824013379862012-01-21T14:37:00.000-08:002012-01-21T17:58:23.905-08:00How Few RemainWhen I started blogging in 2003, I considered myself a relative latecomer. Several of my friends had established online journals during college, but during that time I was content to comment on their thoughts rather than post any of my own. That changed when I started teaching and found myself, more than ever before, yearning for a place to record my thoughts and share them with my Bennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-91917195125253252702012-01-16T16:38:00.000-08:002012-01-16T18:41:39.226-08:00Contest Answers, At Your ServiceHappy Martin Luther King Day, Invisible Readership! Because of the federal holiday, my office was closed so I spent much of the day catching up on long overdue errands and straightening the apartment. Admittedly, such activities are far removed from the ideal of public service that has come to be associated with Dr. King's birthday, but they needed to get done. Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-43758546183034303082012-01-03T20:10:00.000-08:002012-01-03T21:38:12.830-08:00Cold Days Ahead2012 has arrived and while it isn't the end of the world (at least not yet), the unseasonably warm weather of the past few weeks has faded away. All that remains now are the cold realities of the season. In my case, those realities revolve around the fact that I have absolutely no idea where I am going to be when 2013 rolls around.My postdoctoral fellowship is proceeding relativelyBennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-34066889385399570982011-12-21T16:25:00.000-08:002011-12-22T05:29:22.875-08:00The Holiday Movie Quote Contest IX: Son of the Movie Quote ContestHappy Hanukkah, Invisible readership! December has been a busy month for your all too itinerant blogger this year, what with job applications and various postdoctoral projects on the horizon. Nevertheless, I'm pleased to present you all with my customary holiday present, just in time for the solstice. Brighten up this otherwise Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-72066794030484461582011-11-19T18:05:00.000-08:002011-11-19T19:55:48.967-08:00The Invisible Ben, Ph.D.According to my graduate school's website, at some point today I was awarded the title of Doctor of Philosophy. It has been three weeks since my dissertation defense, but only now has it become official. You are now reading the online ramblings of the Invisible Ben, Ph.D.I realize, looking over the past few entries that I never dedicated an entry to describing my defense. Bennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-76109101865457290032011-10-24T21:01:00.000-07:002011-10-24T22:04:49.175-07:00And then, when all is said and done...My dissertation defense is on Friday.A few months ago, when I first received word that the end of my graduate career was nigh, this week seemed an eternity away. The majority of my dissertation was written, but I had neither an introduction nor a conclusion to my name and the revisions...oh, the revisions! After filling in the gaps, I engaged in an extensive Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-33038643713982655792011-10-18T19:04:00.000-07:002011-10-18T19:23:23.727-07:00Off the ListA quick update for those of you who remember when this used to be a blog about teaching.For as long as I taught there, Underwood High School was listed by the school district as persistently dangerous based on the ratio of enrollment and violence reported by the administration and school police. Ms. Oldman, my former principal, used to claim that the outbreaks of fighting in our Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-367751515215593932011-10-10T18:52:00.000-07:002011-10-10T19:06:55.659-07:00It's not perfect...But as of this afternoon, my dissertation is no longer in my hands. The three-hundred-plus page manuscript has been sent off to the printers and I expect two bound copies to be ready for delivery to the department by the middle of next week.I feel like someone who hits his thumb with a hammer and then stares at the injury waiting for the pain to register. After all this time, Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-11122636223977262682011-09-02T20:06:00.000-07:002011-09-02T20:28:36.412-07:00And like that, he's gone.
In approximately 12 hours, I'll be leaving Old Ivy for the last time. Of course, I'll be coming back over the next few months. My apartment's lease doesn't expire until the end of September, so I have time to clean the place over the next few weeks. Also I have a dissertation to defend and a pub quiz to run until I can no longer claim graduate student status. But for Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-90038818397930301122011-08-15T05:28:00.000-07:002011-08-15T05:52:58.133-07:00The Dissertation Countdown
For the past month, I have been working overtime to get through my dissertation revisions. There was, and is, just so much to be done before I start my new fellowship. (No news on the exact date for that, but I'm assuming mid-September.) My schedule has been to work on a given chapter for 4 days. The first day, I revise the introduction and some of the chapter text. Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-53258564055963636982011-07-14T05:39:00.000-07:002011-07-14T07:56:18.230-07:00"Thirty years...a nice round number"Well, here we are again, dear readers. Once again, the earth has whirled around the sun to the precise position where, not too long ago on a cosmic scale, the creator of this blog was born. Perusing the archives (I am training to be a historian, after all...) reveals that the first time I compiled a blog post for my birthday was in the summer of 2004, as I was Bennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-83218866280333529972011-06-04T21:07:00.001-07:002011-06-25T12:21:02.697-07:00The Teacher's Digital SoapboxAlthough I haven't quite forgiven the New York Times for the introduction of its new business model, my status as a graduate student at a well-respected university means that I can continue to access its content free of charge via the computers at the library. It was there that I discovered this editorial by Jonathan Zimmerman criticizing teachers who post negative Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-69547461438115984172011-05-05T07:34:00.001-07:002011-05-08T21:18:18.114-07:00April, Lost and Gone (or 5 for 5/5)The past month has slipped away with nary a blog entry from your erstwhile author, though not for lack of interesting adventures. As per the suggestion of the Subaru Air Conditioner Compressor (and others) in the comments associated with my previous post, I feel it is my duty as a semi-responsible blogger to address a handful of these, even though such vignettesBennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-82339975880012472612011-03-27T19:04:00.000-07:002011-03-27T19:27:47.023-07:00AbstractionAfter a month and a half of concerted effort, the fifth and final chapter of my dissertation is now drafted. Whether or not it meets with my advisor's approval remains to be seen, but for now I have a moment to catch my breath and start contemplating the future. Eventually, that will mean working on the project's introduction and conclusion, both of which must accomplish a large amountBennoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-10015675500758189962011-03-17T19:58:00.000-07:002011-03-17T20:06:41.993-07:00Back on the ListGuess who's back on the Invisible Ben's enemies list? (What...you forgot I had one? Never mind that, focus on the question!)Here's a hint: They'll now charge you $195 for a year's worth of access to their website.Yes, it looks like the "Gray Lady" and I will be breaking up again.Here's hoping its latest experiment with paid news content proves as effective as the last one.Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-29067662412173219052011-02-15T19:11:00.000-08:002011-02-15T19:13:18.913-08:00Time Marches OnToday I am exactly 10,808 days old.That means that approximately 29 years, 7 months, and 3 days ago I was born.And that day my father was exactly the same age that I am now.I find it hard to imagine.Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-1790892181356277142011-02-13T20:01:00.000-08:002011-02-13T21:05:02.167-08:00Anonymously yours...Last week, I read a newspaper story about a teacher in the suburbs who received a suspension for comments she posted about her students on her blog. Apparently, she expressed a wish for report card comments that were more descriptive than the boilerplate "needs improvement" or "poor attendance" rigmarole that typically appears on board of education approved paperwork. Things Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-14716307125444196762011-02-06T12:42:00.000-08:002011-02-26T09:16:14.238-08:00Fifth Chapter BluesIt's been a busy couple of weeks here at Old Ivy. Like much of the country, we've been suffering from a particularly intense winter with large doses of snow, ice, and freezing rain making the roads downright miserable. While the first of these would not be quite as annoying, given the possibility of departmental snowball fights and, in at least one instance, the construction Bennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-52602469760206337492011-01-23T11:04:00.001-08:002011-01-23T12:08:48.179-08:00The Ticking Job ClockMost of the time, when I am immersed in dissertation research, I find it difficult to think too far beyond the latest chapter deadline or paper submission date. Obviously I will need to set aside time to work on job applications or at least to consider various post-graduate school employment opportunities, but such concerns seem far less significant when an article is due or Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-59257648440330184072011-01-16T14:45:00.000-08:002011-01-16T15:47:00.334-08:00Toward a New Sense of BalanceHappy 2011, ladies and gents!Each January, like many people, I compile a list of resolutions for the coming year. I'm not sure how many I have actually been successful in keeping beyond mid-March. Either my goals are too ambitious (e.g. "I will go running every day."), there do not seem to be enough hours in the day (e.g. "I will learn a new language.") or my Bennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-41868622052572261302010-12-29T17:47:00.000-08:002010-12-29T17:56:35.835-08:00Advice to AuthorsMy dissertation focuses upon a technical subject so I tend to avoid delving into the specifics of my research on this blog for fear of scaring away my already meager audience. Every so often, however, I stumble upon something during the course of my work that is worthy of sharing. In this case, it's a poem of sorts included in the back of a technical journal from 1968, perhaps Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-11156233455532138012010-12-24T20:40:00.000-08:002010-12-24T21:17:51.269-08:00A Good DayGreetings from New England, Invisible Readership!As some of you may have noticed, blogging diminished even more than normal over the past month due to the pressures associated with composing a new dissertation chapter. The good news is that I finished the draft, the fourth of a planned five chapters! The bad news is that having finished with one chapter, it is time to begin working on Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-61244199006058292062010-12-22T19:09:00.000-08:002010-12-22T21:43:26.673-08:00The Curse of the Holiday Movie Quote Contest!Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's time once again for this blog's annual contribution to winter revelry and seasonal good cheer. Below you will find fifty quotations from fifty films. See how many you can identify. As always, I'll accept answers via e-mail or comments. Get the most and you'll win an Invisible Medal to grace your mantle. Best of luck andBennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-26405157952320235292010-12-11T09:31:00.000-08:002010-12-11T10:39:55.656-08:00It's a gas, gas, gas...A pair of quick history lessons, gentle readers.166 years ago yesterday, a Hartford dentist named Horace Wells went to a show hosted by Gardner Colton, a stage performer who followed the lead of Humphry Davy and other Romantic-era natural philosophers by engaging in public demonstrations of various "airs." Wells, noticing that people under the influence of nitrous oxide Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-74354784051080215682010-11-01T06:57:00.000-07:002010-11-09T17:36:34.975-08:00Splendid IsolationFor the past week, I have dedicated myself to writing what may very well be my first published scholarly article. My once pristine office area has reverted into full-on work mode, with books, binders, and file boxes scattered on every conceivable surface.Every morning before I eat breakfast, I excavate the small portion of this material in front of my computer monitor so as to Bennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-33034545032581260372010-10-04T21:02:00.000-07:002010-10-04T21:17:13.269-07:00Watch out, AprilThe past weekend marked the definitive end of my summer vacation. After one final conference trip to Tacoma and a stop by Berkeley to witness the union of my friends the Skiing Chemist and Princess Noodle, it was back to Old Ivy. The weather has abandoned any pretense of pleasantness and cold, drizzly weather looms on the horizon for the next few days, a gray reminder that the Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-34593500698942924462010-09-18T12:10:00.000-07:002010-09-18T13:02:29.443-07:00AtonementI am not a religious person.Despite what I would consider a solid grounding in the tenets and customs of my family's belief system, in recent years I have become increasingly skeptical of the existence of any sort of higher power, acting for good or ill to guide the course of events across the universe.Nevertheless, for me a few traditions do exist which, from a cultural perspective, Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-20078991409909962892010-09-06T16:26:00.000-07:002010-09-17T08:50:57.322-07:00Labored Days AheadI confess, gentle readers, that the past few weeks have not been easy ones for the Invisible Ben. Despite a safe and, with the exception of local commuter rail, speedy return from the Land of the Rising Sun, the residual effects of jet lag have only now begun to disappear. More permanent, I fear, are the challenges associated with establishing a new work schedule now that Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-51614109338614041512010-08-28T04:18:00.001-07:002010-08-28T05:40:16.436-07:00A Wandering Blogger, I...Greetings from Japan, true Ben-lievers! Or perhaps I should say "Kon'nichiwa, Nippon kara!"As alluded to in my previous blog post, I am currently on the far side of the Pacific, a 14 hour plane ride away from my new apartment near Old Ivy. The main reason for this expedition was a science and technology studies conference where I participated in a pair of panels on the Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-1691946775460402532010-08-23T03:25:00.001-07:002010-08-23T03:25:19.749-07:00A Gentle-Ben in JapanReally, I should be writing about my new apartment and the recent conclusion of my fellowship in the big city, but right now this seems far more relevant.My apologies in advance to Gilbert, Sullivan, and anyone who likes or is even remotely familiar with their work.(ahem)If you want to know where Ben is...He'll be traveling to Japan.On a jet for fourteen hoursOr at least thatBennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-61109573608480308872010-08-04T04:54:00.000-07:002010-08-04T05:14:44.482-07:00How Can You Be in Two Places at Once?For those who care:Apartment Search 2010 has finally ended and by the end of the weekend I will have moved into a nice one bedroom a mere ten minute drive from campus. There will still be trips back and forth between Old Ivy and the Big City [TM] as I clean out my office and formally conclude my fellowship, but otherwise my days as a long-distance commuter Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-80492414100005658112010-07-14T04:39:00.000-07:002010-07-14T04:46:49.545-07:00A Hypothetical ObituaryNeither fans of this blog nor people who have met the Invisible Ben in person will be surprised to learn that he (I?) has (have? Damn, this third person conceit can flummox one's grammar! Not to worry. This whole ordeal with be finished after I finish this sentence. Well, not this sentence I'm typing now, but rather the sentence within which this parenthetical is contained.Bennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-53233311759709447262010-07-06T20:18:00.000-07:002010-07-06T20:33:52.168-07:00102 Degrees (Fondly Fahrenheit)From the Snowpocalypse to a triple-digit heat wave!Good thing I don't have a softball game tomorrow.Oh wait...Ah well, it could be a lot worse. I am an academic, after all, and even record-setting temperatures have trouble penetrating the walls of a climate-controlled library.Speaking of climate control, the global warming deniers have suddenly gotten a lot quieterBennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-88332712518405967472010-06-21T19:44:00.001-07:002010-06-21T23:18:28.036-07:00Gone But Not ForgottenWhen I first received my fellowship, I deluded myself into thinking that I would take advantage of my return to reach out to my former colleagues at Underwood High School. I regaled my advisor with tales of how I would capitalize upon my connections to organize field trips intended to supplement their social studies and science classes. I assumed it would be easy. And Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-53540496655575631062010-06-08T20:04:00.001-07:002010-06-09T21:23:35.802-07:00Trial By JuryLike many of you, sometime in the past few months I had the opportunity to participate in a primary election. Here it was—democracy in action—and for once, I had the foresight to register in advance and discover the location of my nearest polling place. Although I had absolutely no knowledge of the candidates below the federal and state levels, it still felt nice to perform my civic Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-85067225403319906822010-05-21T12:03:00.001-07:002010-06-03T20:25:10.656-07:00Old SchoolLast week, I traveled north to see my family and celebrate the Invisible Sister's graduation from medical school. Yes, there is another doctor in the family, and this one can actually save lives and make a positive contribution to society, unlike certain other academics I could mention.As one might expect, with the exception of the ceremony itself and the requisite fancy dinner Bennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-85478924357029096692010-05-11T19:23:00.000-07:002010-05-11T19:33:30.739-07:00A Rare Case of Conference KarmaToday I learned that a paper I had submitted to a major academic conference had been rejected. The e-mail claimed that it was partly due to a lack of available rooms at the conference venue, but as an excuse that provides somewhat little consolation. Now I'm left in the awkward spot of trying to decide if I should attend the conference anyway even though I won't Bennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-73595630249810531412010-05-01T11:38:00.000-07:002010-05-01T11:52:54.256-07:00An Object at RestI have written at length about my distaste towards the moving process.Nevertheless, unless I get tenure or an equivalently long-term position, it is something of a necessary evil. (One wonders why I even bothered to unpack...)For example, no matter how much I like my current apartment (which I do), it is somewhat infeasible for me to stay there after my fellowship ends this Bennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-41511605311262879372010-04-25T20:42:00.000-07:002010-04-25T21:23:56.091-07:00April 2010 Conferences: 1 Down, 1 To GoI was not originally planning to be heavily involved with official events back at Old Ivy this year. After all, what with the hour-long commute between campus and my apartment, it isn't necessarily the most practical thing. Nonetheless, when my adviser approached me at the end of last semester to ask if I wanted to organize our annual workshop on the Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-40557470913651308262010-04-19T20:00:00.000-07:002010-04-19T21:11:21.976-07:00Productive Procrastination?Hard as it may be to believe it has been several weeks since I did any productive research on my latest dissertation chapter. My previous blog entries may have led you to believe that finishing my thesis was the equivalent of Ahab landing that white whale he hated so much, or if you prefer your references somewhat less high-brow, like Khan leaving Kirk marooned for Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-78610579742390542062010-04-04T20:25:00.001-07:002010-04-05T19:01:43.536-07:00What Little I KnowHappy Passover, readers! This weekend, my extended family gathered for its annual family reunion/seder here in the city. It's a decades-old tradition, and for most of that time, I considered myself a member of the youngest of the three generations who attended. The same generations were present this time around. On the far end of the table sat my grandfather and his Bennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-62224025450115798162010-03-10T19:20:00.000-08:002010-03-10T19:21:44.063-08:00I never metahumor I didn't like!I only wish I had known about this last week so that it could be posted in time for the Academy Awards...Bennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-68081347310676173412010-02-27T15:48:00.000-08:002010-02-27T17:27:55.582-08:00A Whole New CurlLike many Americans, I have enjoyed watching this year's Winter Olympics on television. Unlike many of my high school friends, I never participated in any winter sports. The nearest I came was sledding, unless one counts a few tentative forays into the world of pickup street hockey. Neither ice skating nor skiing really appealed to me, and so I never took it upon myself to pay Bennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-13442235053288134462010-02-22T16:39:00.001-08:002010-02-22T17:53:54.830-08:00A Man of Few(er) WordsToday, I traveled up to Old Ivy for my graduate program's weekly works in progress seminar. Normally, I don't attend, but this time around it was my turn on the chopping block. I submitted the chapter draft I completed last November in hopes of getting good feedback from my friends and colleagues.In contrast to previous occasions, this one went relatively well. Granted, Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-53477226932144317482010-02-12T17:46:00.000-08:002010-02-12T17:56:22.488-08:00A View of the SnowpocalypseView from my window.Saturday, February 6, 2010.The first snowstorm of the Snowpocalypse.More images forthcoming.Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-78932944418897289322010-02-09T20:08:00.000-08:002010-02-09T20:35:46.925-08:00Snowpocalypse II, Snow HarderThe skies have opened up again and snow has begun to fall upon deserted streets that never had the chance to recover from their last wrestling match with Jack Frost. According to the evening news, in some places around the city the precipitation rate has reached 3 inches an hour and although there may be a lull sometime in the next few hours, things won't be said andBennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-38650809762799237042010-02-06T09:10:00.000-08:002010-02-06T09:57:01.930-08:00Snowpocalypse? Wow!Apparently they're calling it the Snowpocalypse here in the blogosphere, so who am I to disagree? Based on the view out my window this morning, the term certainly seems appropriate. The snow began last night around 6 PM, just in time for the game night a few of my friends were hosting in the northern part of town. As one of the few guests with a car, I volunteered to be Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-81277068338373825672010-01-27T05:44:00.000-08:002010-01-27T05:45:06.639-08:00After four years, it's just another day.So long and thanks for all the fish.Bennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-86163733340821896682010-01-24T19:59:00.000-08:002010-01-24T20:41:38.468-08:00BYOBBQ*So this evening I hosted my first dinner party at my new apartment. It wasn't much of a dinner, just some slow-cooker pulled pork and assorted snacks. And I guess it wasn't that big of a party per se. Mostly it was a bunch of friends from work hanging out, chowing down, and watching the Saints beat the Vikings. But it was the first time that I had more than two visitors in my apartmentBennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-40270025497720418812010-01-17T17:31:00.000-08:002010-01-18T06:24:58.012-08:00What if they gave a contest and (almost) nobody entered?Now that a few weeks have passed and we are well into 2010, some of you may be wondering why I have yet to post the answers to this year's movie quote contest. The answer is not, as some might be led to believe, deliberate negligence on my part. Rather, the low number of participants prompted the delay.In the distant past, before there wasBennoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-15255182050762168812010-01-03T09:52:00.000-08:002010-01-03T09:53:29.779-08:00Blogroll UpdateAfter all these years, the Invisible Blogroll has been purged of those blogs that are either no longer updated or which no longer seem relevant given my personal and professional interests.If anyone wants me to restore any lost links or add on someone new, just comment below.Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-1826739319369478702010-01-01T16:18:00.000-08:002010-01-01T17:40:22.071-08:001.1.10Happy new year, loyal readers! And, depending upon your opinions on the calendar, happy new decade!Despite having spent both last night and today pretty much by myself, I have no particularly profound reflections to present at the start of this fine January. No great insights have popped up during the New Year's Day parade, the Winter Classic, or the Rose Bowl. I can only continue to Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-50118324332125434532009-12-31T15:08:00.000-08:002010-01-17T17:30:21.987-08:00A Decade ReviewedClick below to see a larger version of my memories of the previous decade.These are examples of news events, life-changing professional events, or cultural products (books, movies, etc.) that shaped my life during the years in question.Maybe I'll try to do something similar in 2020. If so, I'll post it here, assuming there are still blogs in the future.Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-89575175553104906862009-12-26T08:31:00.000-08:002009-12-26T09:32:31.164-08:00Holmes for the Holidays [TM]Yesterday I hiked down to my local cineplex to enjoy my traditional holiday matinee. The film of choice was Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes. As a long time fan of Doyle's detective fiction, the trailers had left a decidedly sour taste in my mouth with their tendency to emphasize Holmes as man of action (and Michael Bay style explosions) rather than the more cerebral Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-35551019925811990592009-12-21T06:14:00.000-08:002009-12-21T06:21:13.682-08:00Dissertations Don't Take Snow DaysProving yet again that historians make the worst prognosticators, the school district is closed today. I suppose that even with all of Sunday to clean up the roads, the second largest snowstorm in local history (since recordkeeping began in the 1880s) merits some sort of recognition. Granted, it totally destroys the remainder of the school week, since students Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-8499911089076359452009-12-20T06:02:00.000-08:002009-12-20T06:17:45.792-08:0022.9 Inches of SnowIf I were still teaching high school, I think I would have profoundly mixed emotions today as I survey the powder-covered streets of my fair city this morning. The mayor has declared a snow emergency, but with the exception of a few lingering flurries the wintery onslaught has basically passed, giving road crews the time needed to excavate the major traffic arteries and get Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-44264671550496014922009-12-15T18:04:00.000-08:002009-12-15T18:17:57.973-08:00The Holiday Movie Quote Contest VII: Mission to Moscow Well folks, it's that time of year again. Yes, despite the madness that is my dissertation, I still found time to compile fifty quotations from fifty different movies. See how many you can identify without resorting to the vast stores of knowledge available on the Internet.Answers will be posted sometime around New Year's.1. “This has Bennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-14153867898802499312009-12-14T20:04:00.001-08:002009-12-14T21:06:34.165-08:00Balkans-Bound Ben?Yesterday, I was hard at work in my office, conveniently located a half block away from my apartment when something unusual happened. No, it wasn't the fire alarm going off. That happened on Saturday, was far more disruptive, and has its own separate story ending with firemen busting down a door and me going nearly deaf from the building's all-too-efficient klaxons.In Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-4370583626003538032009-11-27T12:01:00.000-08:002009-11-27T12:53:31.197-08:00Black Friday BluesGreetings gentle readers from the Invisible Homestead, somewhere in the wilds of darkest New England. I have been up here since Tuesday, after facing the full terror of Thanksgiving traffic surrounding my old geographic nemesis, the Hudson River. I have spent years trying to devise a time-efficient manner of avoiding that accursed stretch of waterway, but it seems that there Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-44905019200665882842009-11-15T19:03:00.000-08:002009-11-17T16:40:43.217-08:00Going Off BookTuesday I have to give a talk in conjunction with my dissertation fellowship. It's supposed to be about the chapter I've been writing, so my plan was to finish the chapter and then winnow it down into a talk. Unfortunately, I've written 40 or so pages of chapter so far, and I'm at best only halfway done with what I had originally planned. It is possible that I will be able to Bennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-57352912166324343552009-10-29T18:35:00.000-07:002009-10-29T18:42:09.809-07:00Drifting Through My DissertationIn case you were wondering why there have been no updates, it's because my routine has basically boiled down to the following:1. Wake up2. Shower3. Breakfast4. Walk over to work.5. Stay at work between 8-10 hours doing dissertation research or, in the case of today, writing. (Yes. I've written 5 whole pages. And all it took was a complete and utter lack of Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-51356023599200677932009-09-25T11:44:00.000-07:002009-09-25T11:55:13.238-07:00Die Zukunft ist Jetzt!Right now I am typing these words on a piece of rectangular plastic with a liquid crystal screen with a nine inch diagonal. My pressure on the keys is transformed into electrical impulses and transmitted via a wireless server here in Potsdamer Platz, where I am waiting to see an Imax edition of Harry Potter 6 with a German dub. The signal reaches Google and Blogger's Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-10824304321025550852009-09-24T12:18:00.000-07:002009-09-24T12:54:11.295-07:00Ben's European Adventure: Week 2 UpdateGuten tag von Berlin, meine Freunde! Yes, I am here in Germany's capital having survived my second conference on the history of science museums. I am now in something of a holding pattern until the researcher I am traveled here to interview returns from his Sommerurlaub. (That's summer vacation for those of you who are less Teutonically inclined.) My Bennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-86461158406945809582009-09-19T01:29:00.000-07:002009-09-19T02:45:27.043-07:00Ben's European Adventure: Week One UpdateHello all and greetings from London. Sincere apologies for the paucity of updates over the past few days, but until now my Internet access has been surprisingly restricted. One would think that a conference being held at a major site in the history of French telecommunications would have considered the importance of reliable wireless networks, but such Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-74980044276565140482009-09-13T07:44:00.001-07:002009-09-13T07:52:24.180-07:00Bon Voyage!In a few short hours, I'll be catching a train to the airport to set off on an 18 day European expedition. I will be attending two conferences, spending time in three countries (France, UK, Germany), meeting scholars from dozens of different universities and museums, and interviewing one of the inventors of the modern liquid crystal display.All in all, it should be a very exciting Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-50636481941575684622009-09-07T09:01:00.000-07:002009-09-07T09:28:22.689-07:00Labored DaysLast Friday was my first day at my new academic fellowship. I got to visit my new office, meet my new colleagues, and get confused about my new tax situation. (I love how the guy in charge of handling my tax paperwork skirted between evasion and flat-out refusal to provide any specific information concerning my employment status.) All in all, the set up seems very nice and I hope Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-20041355781106292722009-08-31T13:45:00.000-07:002009-08-31T14:07:53.009-07:00AloneThis afternoon at 3, I dropped off my keys and left the Invisible Suburb behind for good.I also said a final goodbye to everyone associated with my time there. I didn't handle it well. A better man would have been friendly and optimistic or at least kept up a solid veneer of civility and decorum. I am not a better man. Not by a longshot.There were tears. There were laments and regrets.Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-38096006179401408012009-08-31T06:37:00.001-07:002009-08-31T06:50:48.218-07:00Living in a World Made of CardboardHey all. The Invisible Ben here in his fabulous new studio apartment, which right now looks more like the warehouse at the end of Raiders than a place where one might live. I suppose its my own fault for having so much damn stuff (mostly books) and not enough patience after my move yesterday to put them away. Still, I'm sure this is a temporary setback.I'm Bennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-74270702688267255422009-08-29T19:41:00.000-07:002009-08-29T21:19:08.316-07:00Goodbye to the Invisible SuburbTomorrow I'll be leaving a place I never expected to be and moving into a place where I'm not sure exactly what to expect. The moving truck is scheduled for 2 PM and I'll be leaving the Invisible Suburb behind for a new fellowship in the big city. I've signed the lease for my new studio apartment and despite some minor setbacks like a faulty back door key, the Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-25898832793021751872009-08-15T17:45:00.000-07:002009-08-15T19:01:08.197-07:00ReunionsTonight is my tenth high school reunion. It is being held approximately two hundred miles away from where I am currently sitting. Even as I type this, classmates that I have not seen for years are milling around, exchanging pleasantries, and partaking of drinks at the open bar as they struggle to recapture the past. They'll introduce old friends to their new significant others--or Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-86674824531314674282009-08-05T08:08:00.000-07:002009-08-05T08:43:05.890-07:00Gotta keep movingTime is running out for summer. I know that some people love the month of August, but for me its arrival serves as a reminder that autumn is on its way and that those beautiful summer sunsets that seem to last forever are coming sooner with each passing day. Soon the people who complain about the humidity and the bugs will soon begin grumbling about the cold winds of autumn andBennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-81283720255883873612009-07-14T17:18:00.000-07:002009-07-14T17:56:16.649-07:00Uncertain FutureBastille Day is here once again, and so it once more falls upon me to continue the longstanding tradition of a rumination on the anniversary of the French Revolution, the death of Billy the Kid, and the birth of the Internet's seventeenth least read blogger...which is to say, yours truly.Last year around this time, in the wake of a good friend's wedding (Happy belated anniversary,Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-72382617772563537382009-07-08T18:02:00.001-07:002009-07-08T18:22:45.273-07:00Infinite RegressTime is running out for my summer...and more importantly for my summer research at the archive. The long and short of it is that my archive is likely to start packing up its materials by August, which means that any thing I want to get out of there had better be done soon because who knows when I'll get the chance to see it again.So I've been going to the archive from 9 to 6 mostBennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-38683458457333021592009-07-05T05:56:00.000-07:002009-07-05T06:24:05.515-07:00Now my car can turn invisible?Another month passes and again, I have been remiss in the blogging. The normal routine of going to the archives, photographing laboratory notebooks, and occasionally interviewing their authors still fails to cross the threshold of excitement necessary to provoke a solid blog post. And while I would love to write extended commentaries on the history department's Bennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-74373004290908435072009-05-25T10:38:00.000-07:002009-05-25T11:33:52.211-07:0021 GunsDoes anyone still come here? Rest assured, gentle readers, if you decide to abandon me, I won't blame you. I know it's nothing personal. After all, it's been over a month with nary a quip or comment from the Invisible Ben. For all you know, I might have packed my virtual bags and disappeared into blissful anonymity somewhere else on the Information Superhighway. Or maybe I finally Bennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-26155427325002788312009-04-20T19:43:00.001-07:002009-04-21T04:58:20.387-07:00Ten Years Ago TodayI was traveling in Germany with my high school concert choir when I heard the news about the shooting at Columbine.Though I recall only fragments of the specific details of that day--sitting in the hallway before an assembly at a German high school, performing the Star Spangled Banner, my butchered Satchmo impression during Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies"--that day has stuck in myBennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-6701784499229619132009-04-12T19:37:00.000-07:002009-04-12T19:43:22.145-07:00Happy Easter, Zombie Jesus!If Jesus somehow came back to life today, how many people would assume he was a zombie and blow his brains out?Also, how many fictional characters can you name who died and then came back to life?A quick list that I came up with this morning:-Osiris-Gandalf-John Locke (from Lost)-Harry Potter-Superman-Spock-Buffy the Vampire Slayer-John Sheridan (from Babylon 5)A more Bennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-71724199166999383742009-03-16T19:33:00.000-07:002009-03-21T09:41:58.538-07:00Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?A dozen thoughts on Zack Snyder's cinematic adaptation of Watchmen:1. The opening sequence showcasing the murder of the Comedian was masterfully shot. Even if I found it hard to believe that one would be in much of a state to continue defending oneself after being slammed into a marble countertop so hard that said countertop breaks, Snyder won me over by including Bennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-46330257665493298542009-02-23T19:20:00.000-08:002009-02-23T20:14:55.763-08:00Archive MadnessFeburary is nearly gone and I have yet to write a single blog entry. Perhaps this is the inevitable consequence of beginning a dissertation. For the past week, I have traveled to my archive (which, you'll recall is going to be closing within the next six months to a year) to begin digging into whatever materials I can find on the development of LCD's. Everyday, I make the Bennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-18209249271993004152009-01-28T05:32:00.000-08:002009-01-28T05:47:59.956-08:00Super Mario GravityThanks to the kindly folks at Slate it is now my pleasure to report the most creative use of an 8-bit video game system since someone invented the emulator. Apparently a high school physics class took it upon itself to measure the gravitational acceleration felt by players in the various Super Mario Bros. games. Through the use of Quicktime's frames-per-second function and aBennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-25998458946382467232009-01-27T16:32:00.000-08:002009-01-27T17:10:01.322-08:00Uncertain TimesToday I submitted the grades to my students' final exams and thus concluded my first time teaching at the college level. On the whole, I found it a more positive experience than my time at Underwood High, though the few triumphs I had in my previous position were probably more exhilarating. It's difficult to compare learning that a recommendation letter you wrote helped get a kidBennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-75457513235108781832009-01-25T14:36:00.000-08:002009-01-25T15:36:17.690-08:00Movie Quote Contest 2008: The ResultsThe holidays have long since come and gone, and around this blog, that means that it's about time to reveal the winners of the annual holiday movie quote contest.Unfortunately, several factors have hindered my efforts to fulfill my official duties as chief quote adjudicator this time around:Very few people either e-mailed or commented upon the contest.Those Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-69181193821017847482009-01-20T05:03:00.000-08:002009-01-20T05:51:07.423-08:008 YearsHas it really been that long?The 2000 election was the first in which I voted for president. That evening, I was late to my friends' election party, but when I called ahead it seemed like Gore had a lock. "Gore won Florida," they told me. The Democrats would have it in a walk. Several hours later, I wandered back to my dorm around midnight, amazed that Florida had been batted back and Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-46061944545184833322009-01-14T18:51:00.000-08:002009-01-25T15:36:58.124-08:00KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN! (and #6!)Hello, 2009...Yes, at long last, my silence is broken. It's a whole new year and there are all sorts of things about which one could blog, from the incoming presidential administration to the conflicts in the Middle East. And I admit that I had planned to post a brief update today about my recent research project and other, more mundane, matters. But I had a Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-23696836326457913982008-12-31T18:20:00.000-08:002008-12-31T19:46:54.253-08:00Christmas PastI traveled north this past week to visit the Invisible Family in New England. Last year, my girlfriend and I traveled south to spend the holidays with her family, so this time around it was my family's turn. As always, my parents were gracious hosts, spoiling both of us with presents and home-cooked meals. Although work related responsibilities forced my girlfriend to return homeBennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-46426736866717415312008-12-17T18:54:00.001-08:002008-12-17T19:11:09.991-08:00The Holiday Movie Quote Contest VI: The Final NightmareYes, ladies and gentlemen, the steady patter of wintry mix flicking against my windowpanes confirms that it is once again that most magical time of year. For no matter how dramatic the economic turmoil, no matter how massive the political upheavals, no matter how inclement the weather, there are some traditions that should not, nay dare not,Bennoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-43608613348847849312008-12-09T15:41:00.000-08:002008-12-09T15:54:48.392-08:00Opening Pandora's Box?A question for you, oh loyal readers. This morning, I received a friend request on Facebook from one of my former Underwood High School students. I taught this student general physical science from 2004 to 2005, and it appears that he has since gone on to become a college freshman. This is great news, and I wish him all the best.However, in the past, I have always tended Bennoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-42858580303555222782008-12-01T20:35:00.000-08:002008-12-01T21:15:26.247-08:00Now Comes the Hard PartSo this weekend was Thanksgiving, and like all red-blooded Americans I spent my long weekend catching up with my family. My parents, sister, and family dog came down to visit my new apartment in the Invisible Suburb and we went out to dinner with my grandparents at their favorite Italian restaurant. Why Italian? Because nothing says Thanksgiving like an order of gnocchi Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-48992105285597060132008-11-18T20:16:00.000-08:002008-11-18T20:19:25.783-08:00Would you believe...?As if my dinner last Friday wasn't exciting enough, this evening I got to eat dinner with a Nobel Prize winner, a music critic from The New Yorker, three prominent members of Old Ivy's history department faculty, and the chairman of the board of the organization which got me into teaching in the first place!Oh yes, and then I got to go to a lecture about Einstein, Franklin, Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-12081604001678168122008-11-15T07:49:00.000-08:002008-11-15T09:45:27.895-08:00A Relatively Good DaySo for those not in the know or with short-term memory loss, I am currently working as a teaching assistant (or "preceptor" as they say here at Old Ivy) for a course on the history of modern science. The semester is approximately 2/3 of the way done by now and we've just started talking about the 20th century. Last week, class discussion centered around eugenics and the Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-44128892997664173662008-11-04T11:14:00.001-08:002008-11-04T11:19:34.203-08:00Election Day, 2008That is all.Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-63802288138904267192008-10-30T07:47:00.001-07:002008-10-30T11:48:07.438-07:00Better than Sox!I never thought I would see the day.I know that the Boston and Chicago curses lasted longer, but I have been a Phillies fan my entire life, even after Schmidt retired and the Blue Jays stole the 1993 World Series away.The delay in Game 5 was frustrating, but in a way it just made Brad Lidge's final strikeout all the sweeter.It's a shame that the Philadelphia school district isn't Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-77004902351055446612008-10-28T06:51:00.000-07:002008-10-28T07:05:16.069-07:00The Curse of Billy PennI am not much of a sports historian, so I would appreciate some outside perspective on last night's suspension of Game 5 of the World Series. Specifically, does this elevate the supposed curse upon Philadelphia's sports teams above that of other major franchises such as Chicago or Boston? After all, those curses were strong, but I do not recall direct intervention of the Bennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-48226171285717368262008-10-23T05:07:00.007-07:002008-10-27T14:19:49.726-07:00A Swingtown Voter?The Invisible Suburb is located in a swing state, but it often seems that the sole benefit of this status is an increased number of television advertisements explaining how Candidate X is unpatriotic and Candidate Y represents change in which all of us should believe. That's not quite true...we also receive more than our fair share of mailings, political rallies, and 24-hour Bennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-87354948259594281182008-10-23T05:07:00.001-07:002008-11-02T18:39:15.467-08:00Some Thoughts on LisbonHaving now fully recovered from both jet lag and the excitement of presenting my first paper at an academic conference, I can now take time to reflect upon my recent expedition to Portugal, a country whose achievements---if architecture is to be any guide---seem to have peaked in the fifteenth century before steadily declining all the way to the present. This observation Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-82257554721646361732008-10-08T15:23:00.000-07:002008-10-09T10:41:09.394-07:00The Invisible Ben Returns to EuropeWith all the news about the election and the coming of the financial apocalypse, you'll pardon me I trust if my blogging has declined somewhat of late. I feel less than compelled to throw in my two cents about the rapidly collapsing political state of the nation because, after all, there are already plenty of bloggers (or even authors in print media, as my mostBennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-57160912913712083742008-09-30T05:11:00.000-07:002008-09-30T05:14:51.236-07:00Thoughts on the BailoutDespite the copy editing errors (I count two), this Philadelphia Daily News column provides a clear and succinct discussion of the current financial crisis. And I'm not just saying that because my grandfather wrote it.What do you think?Bennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-17479476889464063612008-09-20T22:02:00.001-07:002008-09-24T07:18:08.923-07:00Back in the Saddle AgainI returned home yesterday afternoon after a commute nearly twice as long as normal, thanks to a wonderful combination of two-lane suburban roads, an uncleared accident, and a seemingly unending stream of rubberneckers. By the time I finally got back to the Invisible Suburb, I was exhausted. And honestly, given my schedule, I think I was justified in going to bed early Bennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5894858.post-62205561947917657892008-09-19T04:09:00.000-07:002008-09-19T04:31:15.237-07:00Rusty FamiliaritySo here I am again. It's a little past 7 in the morning and in a few moments I shall be starting my commute to sit in front of a group of students whom I've never met to teach them a subject I only tentatively understand using a lesson plan whose success remains entirely uncertain.Yes, that sinking feeling in my stomach can only mean one thing: It's the first day of school!Now Bennoreply@blogger.com1