Guess it's time for me to carpe diem or something.

(Source: romachic)

PowerPoint: not a substitute for a good lecture:

I know - two complaints in one day? I must be feeling feisty.

Ok. I know I’m a little bit spoiled by getting notes posted online for me, but hear me out. Back in “the day,” teachers lectured using only their voices, and students took notes. While I actually like this method of learning a lot, it’s not feasible for medical school, and back in “the day,” they had less material to learn that I do now. Damn technological advances and research.

I understand that a professor can’t be expected to hammer out every detail in a short lecture. However, if a professor is going to post PowerPoint slides from which he expects students to learn, he needs to make them logical. Posting a picture with a title does not tell me anything. I need to know how things fit together in the overall big picture, and placing material in poorly organized blocks doesn’t show that.

Example: You have three consecutive slides. Slide 1 is entitled, “Awesome Stuff.” Slide 2 is entitled, “Awesome,” and slide 3 is also entitled “Awesome.” Each slide has a different picture, and nothing else. How am I supposed to know how these things relate to each other? My mind tries to put them into an outline form. But how to do that?

I. Awesome Stuff

• A. Awesome example 1
• B. Awesome example 2

OR

I.  Awesome Stuff

II. Something (else) awesome

III. Something (else) awesome

OR 

I. Awesome Stuff

• A. Awesome Example

II. Something Else Awesome

OR 

I. Awesome Stuff

II. Something Else Awesome

• A. Awesome example 

Totally ambiguous.

Also, if you’re going to use abbreviations, please define them first.

Also, don’t just plop words on a slide without a transition or a good heading.

I’m trying really hard not to rip the particular PowerPoint I’m studying to shreds, cause I feel like that would be naming names. However, it makes it really hard to come up with examples.

I’m not sure if the problem stems from the professors not realizing that we can’t structurally organize the material when it’s given to us like this, or if it’s just that professors are too busy/lazy to put together a decent PPT (PowerPoint — See? I defined my abbreviation). I have had a few professors that have made GREAT PPTs. I want to petition our school to have these select professors teach every other professor a mandatory class on how to create good PPTs. 

Someone I know calculated the cost of medical school per day, based on the number of days of classes and tuition. Apparently, I’m paying $100/day to have lectures that make no sense and require extensive Googling to understand. Not cool.

Pottermore.

I can’t figure out if it’s beyond my wildest dreams, or a disappointment.  Going from chapter to chapter is actually pretty lame. They show you a picture, you can zoom in, and there may or may not be an object to “collect.” It seems so anticlimactic. There’s also no sound, which seems odd. It leaves you with this feeling that there’s something that you’re missing, or that there needs to be something to DO, which there’s not.

On the other hand, as you explore, you can read more and more about the background of various characters, places, and objects. This is the best part. I love McGonagall so much more now! Again, I wish that all these entries were compiled in an encyclopedia, which would make it easier to leaf through. 

On the other other hand, the little activities are fun. I haven’t gotten very far in my journey yet, but I can make potions (not very successfully yet). I also bought a wand and got sorted, and I loved the questionnaires that were used to distinguish my personality traits. Also, fun fact: Merlin was a Slytherin. At least, according to the Slytherin prefect that welcomed me to my new house.

What I’m really looking forward to is when all my friends get their Pottermore invitations, cause it’d be more fun to explore with friends.

On Patriotism:

I really should be studying right now. But I’m going to rant for a little while instead.

I’ve been really upset by a lot of what I’ve seen via social media lately. There have been quite a few scandals and political crises lately, and everyone has an opinion. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, as well, but posting a melodramatic, defiant statement on the deplorable state of our country isn’t going to help. It keeps people angry with and resistant to our government’s policies, inspires dissent among different political parties, pisses people off in general, and shows the world exactly what little respect we have for our country. That, my e-friends, is not patriotism.

Now, I’m not saying that patriotism is agreeing with everything that happens in the White House. I am saying that our duty is to collect unbiased information (e.g. not from CNN or Fox News), process it, and act accordingly — by voting and, if you feel so strongly, becoming involved with political movement groups. Our duty is not to publicly insult our country and give it the electronic finger.

Should Casey Anthony have been acquitted? It doesn’t matter. She was. But for argument’s sake, do you suggest that we rewrite all the laws involving the appropriate acquisition of evidence? Or do you propose that we just decide who goes to jail by our biased opinions and desire to see a punishment doled out?

Should we raise the debt ceiling? That’s up to our elected officials. There is not a popular vote for these kinds of things for a REASON. Do you really understand the ins and outs of America’s financial stress? Most likely not. 

Should the West Memphis Three have been released? I’m sorry - are you a judge? 

One of my favorite offensive status updates that I’ve seen went something like this:

“There is a really old lady who needs our help. I’ve known her my entire life, and she is very dear to me, but she is also very sick. Worst of all, she is being abused the people that she has given everything to. There’s not a lot I can do on my own. Can you help me help her? She’s over 200 years old. Her name is America.”

Seriously? First of all, what did you want to accomplish by posting this? What ‘help’ were you eliciting from your Facebook friends?  I’m really ready for the general population of bloggers to get past the insolent-teenager-with-a-few-witty-quips stage. 

bigcrush:

helpful…..

(Source: imgfave)