NO MORE WRITING THIS WEBSITE ON PAPER - I have a computer now! (Also, the site URL has changed)

Not only do I have a new computer, it's a laptop and it works normally and connects to the internet, unlike the 2002 desktop -- now I can continue writing this website with no problem!

With so much activity constantly going on around Lucas' computer, I've barely been able to periodically sneak in to check my email before having to leave again, so accessing the hundreds of pages that I've already written online so I could edit them for The Corrigendopedia (or access any other online resource) was not happening -- there was NO WAY I was going to print all that stuff out!

Instead of being discouraged, I decided to just start from scratch and write everything on paper, largely relying on dead tree resources. It worked pretty okay at first, but then, anything longer than a page became increasingly more of a struggle:
` All that writing in longhand was tiresome to begin with, then every time I needed to make one small change I'd have to erase sentences and then write them again; each time I needed to add something, I'd have to spend hours writing the whole thing again, essentially copying most of it, and then when I realized I needed to add something else, doing it all over again!
` Days would go by with very little progress. And then, how was I supposed to type all that up and proofread it and make any other changes? I'd have to stay up until the middle of the night so I wouldn't be disturbed, and... well... I need my rest (especially since I've had the flu for a month) and I need to be able to get up in the morning!

While I will continue to keep track of my pages on paper, I'd really rather do the writing electronically for such an immense project -- and now I can! I'll be back with more website updates soon!

Oh, by the way, I just visited The Corrigendopedia and it's been moved and rearranged, so I have some editing I need to do in order to fix it. The new address is:

http://sites.google.com/site/corrigendopedia/

That is such a hard-to-remember URL it's LAME! (I'm going to have to update my links, too!)

How to arrange my website... and how not to!

At last! I have the house all to myself, so I can type to my heart's content!

A few days ago, I think I solved my whole 'organization dilemma.' My plan is to write about a general critical thinking topic and give examples - except that those examples may belong to a science topic or some such. The question has been plaguing me, for a couple years now; How To Arrange Them?

My general plan is to demonstrate How To vs. How Not To. I expect I may be able to do well enough to advertise my site like hell and see if I can get some traffic.

So, How To Arrange My Website, and How Not To? My first instinct was to create a site that was a bit like a wiki of all the research I've done, just sorting it by topic, but that clearly won't do in this case. My angle is specifically, 'How To Think' and 'How Not To Think'.

So, instead, I'm going to start off with critical thinking basics and show how they apply to everyday examples, even if many of those examples are large enough to need their own entry. So, the facts concerning that entry will be placed under their own topic.

For example, one thing I wrote long ago mentioned how the Coriolis effect has nothing to do with water spiraling around drains, yet I didn't have enough room to explain, so I intended to do a separate article explaining why this is in detail. But then I had the problem of where to put that article. In the part about how the Earth's systems work, right?

Wait a minute! Wouldn't I first have to explain some basic stuff about the currents of our planet?

Figuring out how to proceed from that point has been a huge stumbling block for the past two years, besides all the scary stuff happening and constant stress and noise I've just barely been able to live through without losing my mind. Not to mention, all the people who told me I'm an arrogant loser for thinking I can make a difference in the world.

It's true that I'm still struggling to get my brain working after a lifetime of severe abuse (and then being told that I'm not capable of getting my brain working again) but I really believe that if I work on this project, my brain will be helped. I have the talent, but the question is, do I have the diligence?

Here's my solution; focus on the critical 'How To' bits and various examples, and THEN put the examples in a larger context of their own subject matter at a later time.

It's the only way I can think of that can move this project forward. What did trying to think of alternate solutions get me? Zilch! There apparently is no better idea!

Here I go again, and I'm going to start with a different entry that also has to do with the myth about the Coriolis effect, and other subjects. I have finished the outline for the main article and am now working on the examples.

Check out the changes I've made to the site, and stay tuned for my next article!

Corrigendopedia: The Website Written On Paper!

So far, most of the material that is already on this site has been written ahead of time on plain white paper. That's because my internet access is very limited, as it has been for some years. The only computer I have to work with is downstairs, in the same room that my housemates are currently watching a movie in surround-sound.

For the past two days, every time I have gone down there to check my email, I haven't been able to because someone has either been watching TV next to the computer or using the computer themselves.

It seems no matter how early I wake up or how late I stay up solely in order to check my email, this is usually the case. The same goes for any public place with internet access, like a library - my earplugs do nothing to dull the roar of constant chatter of other internet-users.

Originally I had been planning to re-use material from my other blogs, including reams of unpublished notes I've been saving for future articles. However, there is no way for me to access, search and read them if I'm endlessly waiting 'in line' for the computer.

* Later... I've discussed the matter with Lucas (my beloved, and generally the 'man-in-charge' around here). He says we'll have to get a laptop so I can go to whatever place is quiet and have my own private computer to use.

My roommates have since stopped watching the movie, but as usual I have to leave for an appointment.

* Next day... The roommates are done with their movie right now and I have some free time to type this in! That's three days I had to wait to use the internet. There's so way it can be a daily habit until I have a laptop.

I've made note of this fact on the Corrigendopedia.

By Jove, I think I've got it!

Besides having an emotional roller-coaster of a time -- including the very good news that both my fiancé and one of our roommates are soon-to-be hosts of their own local TV shows (Max Deluge Show and The Angry Chef), plus I finally got my Financial Aid check from Summer Quarter a few days ago (!) -- I've been otherwise hampered in my plans for this website.

Meanwhile, I've accumulated so many bits of material for this site that I hardly know how to start adding them.

Until now.

It's obvious that the Corrigendopedia site cannot consist of a list of (eventually) hundreds of articles, all in a line. Rather, I need some way to organize my pages via categories so they are easy to explore.

So I did. (I hope the move from Google Pages to Google Sites doesn't screw it all up!) Look at this and tell me it's not a bad scheme. Do it!

Back again!

I am back from vacation, with several more ideas for The Corrigendopedia!

First I was writing one, couldn't figure out where to go with it, then I started another but it was going nowhere, so I have started yet another one, and it has this spiffy 'drawring' (greatly enlarged):

Can you guess what this thing is?

Doubtless you've seen millions, but what are they? Well, I know it's a drawring, but it closely resembles a photo. The vertical lines are meant to be reflections. Also, these things move really fast and we don't get a clear look at them.

How is this thing moving? If you can guess that, you can figure out what it is!

Anyway, the article I started (but did not finish) is called Look Again! Where are your preconceptions from? Someday I'll find a decent middle and ending!

Possibly the lowest form of information.

This is my last pre-vacation post -- I'll be in Georgia until the 13th! -- but when I get back, I'll have tons of cool material!

What is today's Corrigendopedia article about? Well, back in 2005, I was emailed some 'Fun Facts' and found a lot of it false. So, I blogged about it. Finally, I've compiled those posts into one big article and added this ostrich:

The article is called; Internet Trivia: How much of it is even true?

While I haven't actually gotten around to doing a statistical analysis, I can already tell you that the percentage does appear to be over ten percent.
` I also go a little bit into researching and critical thinking throughout the article. It ain't much for that kind of thing, but for now it'll do.

I may stop in here for a minute while I'm on vacation. If not, my next post will be a post-vacation post!

Finally done with Morristown UFO Hoax article...

...It just took me a good forty hours to work out all the kinks. Really. I now see why I always used to just 'dump' most of my really long blog articles. I still have 'em, though, and a lot of them will be making a comeback on The Corrigendopedia.

For now, here's article #2 Rudy and Russo's Big Gullibility Experiment. And my customary drawring....



It took a really long time to fill all that black space in. Maybe next time I won't use a ball-point pen!

As for article #3, since I've busy doing storyboards for a movie (which I'd be more enthusiastic about if I were being paid), I may not finish the drawrings for it and all before going to Georgia for the first time ever, to visit my mom.
` That will be during September 6-13. But, rest assured, I'll still be working on other Corrigendopedia material via paper. Good old paper!