On this day: Set trivial assignments for students of Computing stuck at home

May 28, 2025

Why set students real-world, life-changing, humanity-saving problems when trivial challenges are likely to prove equally, if not more, useful?

Blast from the past: the homework excuse management system revisited -- now with comments!

May 3, 2023

I have republished this post, or a version of it, on my Substack newsletter. The comments are interesting!You can use a spreadsheet to solve even relatively trivial problems — but why should you do so?

The Homework Excuse Management System, by Terry Freedman

Blast from the past: the homework excuse management system revisited

November 25, 2021

You can use a spreadsheet to solve even relatively trivial problems — but why should you do so?

Set trivial assignments for students of Computing stuck at home

May 28, 2020

Why set students real-world, life-changing, humanity-saving problems when trivial challenges are likely to prove equally, if not more, useful?

Blast from the past: the homework excuse management system

September 25, 2018

You can use a spreadsheet to solve even relatively trivial problems — but why should you do so?

Recent book reviews

Quick look: Digital Culture Shock: Who Creates Technology and Why This Matters

Chapters look at how technology is used around the world, online communities, and building a culturally just infrastucture, amongst other topics.

Artificially Gifted Notes from a Post-Genius World.jpg

Quick look: Artificially Gifted: Notes from a Post-Genius World

The author, Mechelle Gilford, explores how AI may render our usual way of interpreting the concept of “gifted” obsolete.

Quick look: Dr. Bot: Why Doctors Can Fail Us―and How AI Could Save Lives

Dr Bot discusses something I hadn’t really considered…

Review: Seven Brief Lessons on Physics: Anniversary Edition

Rovelli draws readers into his world by describing the development of theories that scientists have posited to try and explain our world and the universe beyond.