Category Archives: Robert’s posts

Puzzling Advertising: Who is the intended audience?

Posted on March 6, 2016 by Robert Basil

This advertisement by Vanda Pharmaceuticals (shown a dozen times a day, it seems, on MSNBC) is for a drug called Hetlioz. (It’s very expensive.) Vanda says Hetlioz helps blind people who have a rare condition called Non-24. These folk have trouble sleeping through the night and staying … Continue reading →

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Practice

Posted on March 6, 2016 by Robert Basil

As a teacher and as an editor, my counsel to students and writers often seems too obvious even to say. For instance: “You can’t complete a large project in a short time. Proceed bit by bit” (or “bird by bird“). … Continue reading →

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Smart/Dumb

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Robert Basil

In my profession some colleagues believe that marking hard – giving more D’s than B’s, for instance – correlates with a high level of “rigour” in teaching. To my mind, though, there is often no connection between grade distribution and … Continue reading →

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L’Esprit D’Escalier

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Robert Basil

Things have changed, if just a little bit, in ten years. From January 2005: I’ve been hearing dialogue everywhere, dialogue that seems to be coming from the same play. At the end of party I went to recently, a woman told … Continue reading →

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So, you think you can’t write …

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Robert Basil

Dana Fontein, a fine blog writer over at Hootsuite, posted a really helpful piece this morning, “So You Think You Can’t Write: 8 Writing Resources for Non-Writers.” Many believe that they simply cannot write, or that they aren’t a “writer,” when … Continue reading →

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Mental Hygiene

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Robert Basil

In a post called “Cognitive” my good friend Jonathan Mayhew explores one of NoContest’s recurrent themes: There is the idea that you can prevent decay in cognitive function by doing inane, mindless games on the computer, such as those peddled … Continue reading →

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Rhythm in Class

Posted on January 18, 2016 by Robert Basil

A Faculty Focus piece published today by Linda Shadiow and Maryellen Weimar called “The Rhythms of the Semester” highlights ways professors can help students negotiate “the arc” of the course. The early weeks hold promise and high hopes, both often curtailed … Continue reading →

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Thank you *very* much

Posted on January 17, 2016 by Robert Basil

The acknowledgments page to B. M. Pietsch’s book Dispensational Modernism is very funny: I blame all of you. Writing this book has been an exercise in sustained suffering. The casual reader may, perhaps, exempt herself from excessive guilt, but for … Continue reading →

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Whither the Keyboard?

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Robert Basil

My friend Clarissa writes: Many people are lured into believing that apps can do everything a computer can and never acquire crucial computer skills. They go around brandishing their smartphones and tablets and have no idea why, in spite of … Continue reading →

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Building a website that people trust

Posted on December 25, 2015 by Robert Basil

In an excellent article called “How Much Is Involved in Building an Authority Site” (in website-designs.com), author Steve Cartwright notes that “Authority websites have the potential to generate a tremendous amount of money, but the downside is that they can … Continue reading →

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