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Lizter! Mashup
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A Time to Remember
Max went to study for a few months in Washington state in spring of 2019. Nam took him there and came back. It was hard to watch him go and be away from him because we were such a close family – we ate almost every meal together since the kids were born (and they were almost all great meals). Well, three months turned into four and then six, and then pretty soon he wanted to be there for a whole year. We agreed to the extensions every time since he seemed to be having such a great time. And then the pandemic came. We watched in horror as one…
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New Wave Pumpkins
How this video has so few views (11,802 as of writing this) is puzzling. The songs all kind of sound similar, but not overall, it’s too interesting to pass up: The same editor also has this gem up on their channel: One of the best bands of my university years in Japan!
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Minecraft’s Six Principles of Game-based Learning
The failure dynamic, fail early, fail often. Teach students to take risks in a safe environment- a game. The flexibility dynamic. Provide multiple paths to success. Old school video games had one way to win. Newer “sandbox” games are more open. The construction dynamic. Build something that matters. Students want to create things with a purpose. Minecraft lets them create something difficult and worthwhile. The situated meaning. Learn new ideas by experiencing them. Students learn vocabulary in real-time, as it pertains to playing with others in the game; or learn math as they understand construction. Systems thinking. Learn how all pieces can fit or be fitted. Games help players see…
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Spoonful of Semtex
I’m just a sucker for Mary.
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Windows Store Error Fix for Missing “wuauserv”
Today, I encountered serious Windows Update problems that started as a Windows store problems, namely, I couldn’t install anything from the Windows Store or any Minecraft programs at all – a big problem because I’m brushing up on MC, Roblox, and Scratch teaching skills. The guided walkthrough from Microsoft didn’t help, so I tried manually resetting the Windows Update Service: Open administrative Command Prompt and type following commands one-by-one followed by Enter key.net stop wuauservnet stop cryptSvcnet stop bitsnet stop msiserverRen C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.oldRen C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 Catroot2.oldnet start wuauservnet start cryptSvcnet start bitsnet start msiserverClose Command Prompt and see if Windows Updates works then. https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/window-10-update-is-stuck-on-checking-for-updates/d4833fef-620e-445b-9b99-997c03b9a1f8 However, the “net start wuauserv” command returned…
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Dr. Dre on the Lute
I played this in the background while grinding Chivalry II and it was glorious!
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Highway rest stops in Thailand
Coming from Japan to Thailand 15 years ago, the state of the roads here was lamentable, and many of the streets/rural highways in the Issan region and around our city weren’t even paved – or had big enough holes to break wheels and axles, a common sight back then. I used to go on university trips every term and we would often take the uni bus or minivans on long road trips, ostensibly for work, but more just to get out and travel. This was always a nice perk for government university work, because we could often take the whole family, as well. It also made me very aware of…
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Thai Seafood Lunch
Just a short clip of lunch in Prachuap Kiri Khan province on our recent trip. Shot on a Osmo Pocket my trusty Poco F1, the best smartphone of its time (3+ years ago and will either be replaced by an F3 or the impending F4). Photos to follow. Map link: ป้าเอื้องป้าอิ้ง Pa Aung Pa Aing Thai Restaurant
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Eye Poppin’ Boost Birdy
I miss my Silvia from our days in Japan and will no doubt miss my Kujira when we go back to the states. Maybe I’ll get a red Miata for Nam (she’s always wanted a sporty red car) – so glad I taught her how to drive stick. Don’t ask me why, but I’m testing out these block color controls for WP in this post.























