A rare commodity Water is amazing. It is truly the universal solvent. While there are some things that other solvents can dissolve far better, there is none that dissolves as many different substances as can water. It’s all to do with the structure of water’s molecule – that particle scientists refer to when they talk of the tiny bits that some things are made of. Water molecules can cluster together and share parts of each other to form other discrete particles that have unique affinities for different things. Sugar is made of molecules. But water can. Most contain water that is near pure. MORE >>

WARNING - The content of this post may disturb some readers. The vagaries of censorship are mentioned throughout Hillary Clinton’s recent speech advocating Internet Freedom. Censorship is an action that often takes place behind the scenes. It is sometimes difficult to detect. You can be sure that someone somewhere will be confused, disturbed, annoyed, or even enraged when its occurrence is noticed. Lately, printed news has come under threat. There is a belief that blogging might replace newspapers with a more up-to-date, less censored conduit. As well, the Web2.0 Well, I wonder about all this. MORE >>

photo courtesy Jack Allan In April 2009 I wrote a futuristic poem, It was a contribution to meet Bud the Teacher ’s deal to write a poem a day for the whole of that month. The poem looked only a little way into our possible future. In the last verse I predicted that Stephen Hawking might never have had the chance to say what I assumed might have been running through his mind. It’s been a long time since Cataclysm. They said in the beginning it might be quite a journey. And so we are all here in one form or another. No one knew it would be so simple to start it off. So where are they all?’ MORE >>

The Skill Mastery Hyperdome - SLENZ Project - Foundation Studies Build, Kowhai Authentic learning is a solution to some of the problems that arise in schools, workplaces and in society today. Isn’t it funny that at a time when training is being heaved out of the workplace by a change of organisational thinking, it must find in-roads to secondary schools where, purportedly, it is desperately needed? Last week, I attended the Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu All-School Forum 2010. This was an international occasion for Te Kura. Stuart could not attend the Forum. There was plenty of jobs for them. MORE >>

A well-meaning friend once lent me a book and said, “You should read this. You’ll learn how to become very rich.” He also told me that the secret clue to becoming wealthy was found on almost every page, and that it also occurred several times on the first page. read the book. It is well written – a study of human nature – an interesting compendium of anecdotes and tips, directed mainly at sales-people, but not exclusively. found the clue to becoming wealthy several times before I’d even finished reading page one. But it didn’t help me become wealthy. The clue centred on the word ‘desire’. MORE >>