Sunday, 27 March 2011
Greetings Upper School Parents:
I hope the first week of Spring Break finds you healthy, well rested, and ready for the actual coming of Spring! Since recent weather has felt more like the return of winter, here is a fresh set of “Articles of Interest” to warm your intellect and contemplation as we enter the second week of Spring Break and welcome the promise of April.
This Sunday’s New York Times cover article Poisoned Web: A Girl’s Nude Photo & Altered Lives, Jan Hoffman reiterates many of the topics and concerns we discussed at the internet safety and awareness program back in the fall. When high-tech flirting turns explicit, repercussions can have serious and lasting implications.
In February’s Anniversary Issue of The New Yorker magazine, Malcolm Gladwell sets his sights on the foibles of the college ranking system. His article The Order of Things: What College Rankings Really Tells Us presents an intriguing, Gladwell-esque analysis of what data is used (and how it is weighted) in determining the annual U.S. News ranking of colleges.
And in further college-related reading, in the current edition of The Atlantic magazine, Caitlin Flanagan’s article, The Ivy Delusion, presents a number of topical issues affirming the importance of “fit and match” in the college selection process.
The current edition of Fast Company offers a comprehensive article on Google’s CEO Larry Page, including the challenges ahead in the increasingly competitive internet landscape.
And from the ‘stranger than fiction’ section, two recent articles from the New York Times address the recent antics of Charlie Sheen and why audiences (and the media) simply cannot look away: When Your Life Becomes a Verb (from 4 March), and Sheen-ology (from 6 March).
Happy reading and with sincere regards,
Sam Wagner
Head of Upper School
Monday, March 28, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Early March: Articles of Interest
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
Greetings Upper School Parents:
Happy Mardi Gras! To add to the celebrations of the apparent arrival of Spring, here is a fresh set of “Articles of Interest” for the start of March.
In Newsweek’s cover article, Sharon Begley addresses “brain freeze,” the “Twitterization of our culture,” and how the deluge of information paralyzes our ability to make good decisions in the topical article I Can’t Think.
In the ever-focusing world of web-searches, Steve Lohr’s article Google Schools Its Algorithm traces the ever-sharpening science of honing the accuracy of search engines. In this case, the recent success by IBM’s Watson in the Jeopardy challenge reveals the increasing power of computers to comprehend the nuances of human expression; a brave new world, indeed!
In the great world-sport of Cricket, the 2011 ICC World Cup is now well under way. Sunday’s New York Times has a great article covering Ireland’s underdog victory over England, seen through the eyes of undergraduate students at N.Y.U. Polytech. The final match of the Cricket World Cup will be played Saturday, 2 April in Mumbai, India.
From the sardonic world of art, Sunday’s New York Times also carries a great story about the illustrations, etchings, and stories of Edward Gorey. In the article Nightshade is Growing Like Weeds, Mark Dery traces the lasting influences of Gorey, who died back in 2000.
And to conclude this edition, MVS Alum Danny Beaty is generously referred to in last weekend’s Wall Street Journal article, titled Headed Uptown for a Harlem Renaissance.
Happy reading,
Sam Wagner
Head of Upper School
Greetings Upper School Parents:
Happy Mardi Gras! To add to the celebrations of the apparent arrival of Spring, here is a fresh set of “Articles of Interest” for the start of March.
In Newsweek’s cover article, Sharon Begley addresses “brain freeze,” the “Twitterization of our culture,” and how the deluge of information paralyzes our ability to make good decisions in the topical article I Can’t Think.
In the ever-focusing world of web-searches, Steve Lohr’s article Google Schools Its Algorithm traces the ever-sharpening science of honing the accuracy of search engines. In this case, the recent success by IBM’s Watson in the Jeopardy challenge reveals the increasing power of computers to comprehend the nuances of human expression; a brave new world, indeed!
In the great world-sport of Cricket, the 2011 ICC World Cup is now well under way. Sunday’s New York Times has a great article covering Ireland’s underdog victory over England, seen through the eyes of undergraduate students at N.Y.U. Polytech. The final match of the Cricket World Cup will be played Saturday, 2 April in Mumbai, India.
From the sardonic world of art, Sunday’s New York Times also carries a great story about the illustrations, etchings, and stories of Edward Gorey. In the article Nightshade is Growing Like Weeds, Mark Dery traces the lasting influences of Gorey, who died back in 2000.
And to conclude this edition, MVS Alum Danny Beaty is generously referred to in last weekend’s Wall Street Journal article, titled Headed Uptown for a Harlem Renaissance.
Happy reading,
Sam Wagner
Head of Upper School
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