School Technical Ideas

Knewtonians are ravenous readers. From our book club to our book swap, there are a variety of ways to partake in the active literary culture at Knewton.

Heres just a taste of what folks at Knewton have on their shelves these days:

1. by John Kennedy Toole

David Ingber, Master Teacher

I find myself unable to read as many pages in one setting as I used to. Thats why Im almost glad that I ride the subway its at least an hour a day that I cant be distracted by the internet and my phone.

2. by Suzanne Collins

Will Fleiss,  Senior Marketing Associate

If you love gripping young adult novels (think) and muse about the effects of pop culture and entertainment on society, dont miss this story about child gladiators.

3. by David Foster Wallace and  by Hunter Thompson

Jayson Phillips, Software Engineer

“Its (Infinite Jest) a pretty meaty book and makes for a challenging yet enjoyable read.

“From what I gather via conversation and observation the reading culture is pretty alive and very diverse. People seem to be reading all the time and in many different genres/forms.”

4.  by Ben Mezrich

Andy Huang, Content Developer

If you enjoyed Bringing Down the House (the inspiration behind the Kate Bosworth movie 21) be sure to check out what Kevin Spacey calls the next addition to Mezrichs formidable canon of lad lit.

Trevor Smith, Software Engineer

6.  by Candice Millard

Charlie Harrington, Business Development Associate

During the perilous journey chronicled by Millard in this non-fiction thriller, three men died and Roosevelt himself was brought to the brink of suicide. For a taste of this adventure story, check out Charlies favorite quote from the book:

“Far from its outward appearance, the rain forest was not a garden of easy abundance, but precisely the opposite. Its quiet, shaded halls of leafy opulence were not a sanctuary but, rather, the greatest natural battlefield anywhere on the planet, hosting an unremitting and remorseless fight for survival that occupied every single one of its inhabitants, every minute of every day. Though frequently impossible for a casual observer to discern, every inch of space was alive from the black, teeming soil under Roosevelts boots to the top of the canopy far above his head and everything was connected. A long, linked mat of fungi under the soil consumed the dead and fed the living, completing an ever-changing cycle of remarkable life and commonplace death which had throbbed without pause for millions of years and of which Roosevelt and his men, knowingly or not, had now become a part.”

7. by Marcel Proust and by Jonathan Franzen

Hyunjin Kim, Associate Product Manager

Hyunjins two cents on reading in the age of tech:

“I think its becoming increasingly easier to become used to digesting information in smaller bits (from short articles to <140 twitter blasts), which, while useful for certain types of information/communication, often precludes (or make it more difficult to want to seek out) substantial analysis and engagement with thoughts, arguments, and issues.”

8. by Colson Whitehead

Nina Reed, Research Coordinator

Be sure to check out this post-apocalyptic Zombie horror novel, which GQ describes as glory, lyrical and human if brainy thrillers and full-throttle prose are your thing

9. by Dr. Seuss

Eric Garside, Software Engineer

10. The Queer Art of Failure by Judith Halberstam

Christina Yu, Marketing Associate

If you want a serious academic treatment of Little Miss Sunshine, Pixar movies, and Spongebob SquarePants; or if youre ever given serious thought to what it feels like to come in 4th place at the Olympics, check out this witty treatise on the art of failure, forgetting, and passivity.

One of many insightful moments from the book:

For Walter Benjamin the cartoons depict a realistthough not naturalistexpression of the circumstances of modern daily life; the cartoons make clear that even our bodies do not belong to uswe have alienated them in exchange for money, or have given parts of them up in war. The cartoons expose the fact that what parades as civilization is actually barbarism. And the animal-human beasts and spirited things insinuate that humanism is nothing more than an ideology.

HOUSTON – A 9-year old Houston boy can do something even world class professional athletes can’t do.

His talent has gotten the attention of some big names in basketball.

Jalen Howray is special in more than one way. He is autistic, and he has an amazing talent when it comes to basketball.

A superstar let Jalen know just how special he is when he dropped by his school in Galena Park on Tuesday.

“He touches my heart because he spins a basketball like nobody has spun a basketball before,” Harlem Globetrotter Kenny “The Blenda” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez isn’t just being nice. Jalen is really doing something that most people can’t, including professional athletes.

He can spin a ball on his thumb. Most athletes have to start the ball spinning on their finger, and then transfer it to their thumb.

“I think I need to work on that myself to spin the ball right on the thumb instead of transferring from the finger to the thumb,” Rodriguez said. “So I think that’s pretty cool. When I first saw it I was like wow this guy is special. He’s unique. There’s no body on the team that can spin the ball the way Jalen spin’s the ball.”

“The Blenda”, as Rodriguez is called, came by Jalen’s school, Green Valley Elementary, to tell him just how amazing his trick is.

The basketball star put on an interactive show for all 700 students. He gave Jalen a brand new ball and tickets to the Harlem Globetrotters game in Houston on Jan. 28 at Toyota Center.

Jalen’s parents said he developed autism when he was a toddler.

“He was developing like a normal kid; then all of a sudden it just stopped,” Carla Howray said. “When it stopped, we, his parents, saw him regress to nothing. Zero words, zero speech, zero eye contact.”

A year ago, a basketball became more like a magical key, unlocking speech in Jalen and peeling away a layer from him that seemed to have him trapped inside himself.

“All of a sudden, his father was spinning a ball, and he saw it and it was like something just clicked, and he started spinning the ball with him,” Carla said. “So to see him come back, to see everything that was locked in come back, it’s just, I attribute it to God. It’s a miracle.”

“I don’t want to get emotional here on TV,” Wilford Howray added.

All of the attention made more than one little boy’s dream come true.

“I always wanted to be in the basketball spotlight myself,” Wilford said. “I’m 6’7″, almost 6’8″, so to have my son do it for me it’s a big excitement.”

“I think he’s more excited than Jalen is,” Carla said, laughing.

“I’m the happiest father in the world right now,” Wilford said, with tears in his eyes.

The Original Harlem Globetrotters —

FOX 26 Reporter John Donnelly contributed to this report

Photo Courtesy of Flickr

Lying right under the states of Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Kentucky is the Marcellus Shale, a wealth of natural resources that can be used to produce an alternative form of energy. Discovering this alternative energy source has caused many alternative energy companies to spring up all along the east coast. With the development of these companies comes the chance to pursue a career in alternative energy.

Many people are reluctant to pursue a career in alternative energy but there are many great benefits that can come from choosing this career path. Here’s a look at some of the benefits that can come from choosing a career in alternative energy.

Chance to be a Part of Something New and Exciting

There are still many things that are being discovered and unveiled in the alternative energy industry. Whether you decide to become an engineer who develops new sources of energy, or you decide to work in marketing for an alternative energy company, pursuing a career in this field allows you to be a part of something that is new and exciting, and could potentially change the way the world looks at energy.

Job Flexibility

When you pursue a career in alternative energy there is never a chance that you will feel “stuck” in the job, or feel as if you have to keep doing the same old thing because of the amount of flexibility involved with a career in this field.  There are careers available as engineers, finance directors, miners, marketing executives, and public relations. This job flexibility allows people to still stay in the same career field but possibly pursue a new interest or career path.

Photo Courtesy of Flickr

Chance to Improve the Environment

Alternative energy companies, like those that work to produce Marcellus gas, are creating forms of energy that has a smaller impact on plant and animal life, and the environment in general. Many of these alternative energy forms are being developed in hopes of replacing other harmful forms of energy production. People choose to pursue a career in alternative energy because it allows them to improve the environment and feel as if they are making a difference.

Careers in alternative energy are relatively new, but there are many great benefits that can come from choosing this career path. Pursuing one of these new careers allows you to make a difference, have increased job flexibility, and become a part of something new and exciting.

When you play for keeps, you go broke with your gaming. If you’re the kind of person who takes sick days for gaming, you understand the point of giving your games all you’ve got. If you’ve never taken a day and completely sunken it into a game, it’s okay–you have to start somewhere, and some people aren’t yet ready to get hardcore. However, there are a few things you need to keep in mind if you’re going to play for keeps. Among those things is your hardware, your software and your time. You need all three to be in order if you’re going to play for keeps.

Image via Flickr

Your Hardware

If your hardware isn’t together, you’re going to regret it. While your gaming rig might not be enough to impress anybody, it has to let you play without noticing it. That means your screen has to be big enough to see what you’re doing, your power supply has to be solid enough that you aren’t worrying about it instead of how to play and your controller has to be responsive and comfortable enough that playing is as natural as walking or… anything else you might do.

Image via Flickr

Your Software

Software is essential to the gaming world and not just to the game itself. If your operating system isn’t working properly, neither is your game. You need to keep your software protected at any cost, even if it doesn’t cost much like Zugo. Just because a means of protection is inexpensive doesn’t say anything bad about its performance. Just make sure it actually works, or you’ll end up “saving” your way into having to buy a whole new rig and hoping you saved your progress on a server or a flash drive.

Your Time

Your time is your most important ally in the world of playing for keeps. Whether you consider yourself hardcore or not, without time, you can only fantasize about gaming while you sit in your boring job, drive your boring commute or hang out with boring people who happen to be related to you. Some good ways to keep your time in check are to work as little as humanly possible, not date anybody and try to have as few friends as you can. This way, you can maximize the time you spend staring at a glowing box while rhythmically twitching your thumbs.

Any great ideas on how to play for keeps?