We must reclaim our republic.

I found my next hobby.

Another reason to journal.

Stop being a digital packrat…what?! Why are you looking at me?

Favorite green smoothie.

WorkIsNotaJob Manifesto

Favorite pin of the week.

9 Signs of an Amateur Artist

The post Friday Links appeared first on Libertys Yarn.

Last weekend’s weather was divine and we ventured…and ventured some more. Our first hike of the season was more of a climb up this twisty, muddy “trail”. For all our sake, I chose not to share my exhausted “OMG! I’m going to DIE!” portraits with you at this time.

What made you happy this week?

The post 52 Weeks of Happy (8/52) appeared first on Libertys Yarn.

This lovely eagle exhausted quite a bit of energy chasing after a duck snack. But in the end, the duck escaped.

These birds never cease to enchant me.

I don’t know what it is about geese. They are just happy birds.

The girl child spotted these while I was doing my best to photograph the eagle, who was sulking in a far off tree.

We were very excited to see this Hooded Merganser – when he would come up long enough for us to see him.

I know it’s spring when I see these – salmonberry blossoms.

What made you happy this week?

The post 52 Weeks of Happy (7/52) appeared first on Libertys Yarn.

We are trying Paleo this week. This salmon, olive, avocado and tomato salad is a new favorite!

The camellias are in bloom.

Daffodils are popping up.

And the pond is just about ready for the koi.

The post 52 Weeks of Happy (6/52) appeared first on Libertys Yarn.

More Images!

This is the internet. We have no shortage of images. We have no shortage of free online graphic programs. We have paper, pencils, and camera-phones. Figure it out already. Coding can get complicated – tons of new terms and applications of those concepts to figure out. Don’t just print definition – show me! How does that function relate to that object? In what order does the great computer in the sky process that loop? Help this visual learner out. I took a marvelous business course from Coursera. That prof drew all over his slides as he was teaching. We got to hear and see the process. More of that, please.

Stop with the ‘similarly’!

I firmly believe that a great teacher can make the most dull topic fun to learn. Contrariwise, a monotone, repetitive, droll of information sucks my will to live. Some teachers, no matter how brilliant and well intended, just don’t have strong presentation skills. I don’t want a used car salesman (dear lord, please no) – but if you are going to create a course for 100K students, at least take the time to find a prof who knows how to use pitch, tone, and body language to engage the learner. And PLEASE check the script for words that get repeated over and over again. One of my coding course’s instructors (yes, both of them did it) used the word ‘similarly’ ever third sentence. This is not a word integral to programming. I started to cringe every time I heard it.

Know what ‘beginner’ means

Another class I attempted claimed to be a beginner course. I was very excited about this one because the site was focused and the instructors had great personality. I was very enthusiastic to plow through the three beginner coding courses offered. Ya, that didn’t happen. What they considered beginner was really intermediate or advanced. MOOC makers – find a newb, a true newb, and ask them to work through your class. If they are totally lost at lesson three – try again. Or, at the very least, don’t call it ‘beginner’.

Give me examples

This one is aimed square at the coding MOOCs – show me how this stuff is used in practical applications. It’s all well and swell to define a hammer, show someone how to hold and swing the hammer, maybe even introduce the notion of…dare I say…nails – but it’s tough to know what to do with it if you’ve never seen it used to build a house. I am seeing more examples creeping in, but how about a cumulative project? We could build a blog or online resume as we go. Considering that I have paid exactly zero monies for hours of lessons – all of which I can take at home, whenever I want, in my pajamas - MOOCs are pretty darn amazing. I am thrilled to watch their exploding growth. I can’t wait to see where they go from here.

Have you ever taken a MOOC? What did you think?

The post The Good, the Bad, and the ‘Could be Better’ of MOOCs appeared first on Libertys Yarn.

Another week – another collection of good stuff.

TED talks Agile Planning for Families | Desire in Long-term Relationships | What are movies teaching our boys

Ambient sound encourages creativity Coffitivity | Coding.fm | MoodTurn

I’m getting my Zen on this month. Know Thyself | Meditation Challenge |  Meditation timer

Bigger is Not Better | Turn on Your Quirkydar | Laugh and kiss him back

Yum! One Pot Asian Noodles | Roasted Beet Salad | Dairy-Free Chocolate Mousse

Nerd fun. Droptask | Codecademy | Well, I need one now.

No. I’m not an otter on DIY.org | Degreed.com | Learni.st

How are you enjoying your weekend?

The post Links for Your Weekend appeared first on Libertys Yarn.

On a walk to a favorite spot, we found the tiniest mushrooms and were serenaded by the largest mob of toads.

What made you happy this week?

The post 52 Weeks of Happy (5/52) appeared first on Libertys Yarn.

Thank you very much, Cheryl! Maybe I will get the chance to thank you in person when you visit my neck of the woods  next.

The post A Joyful Package appeared first on Libertys Yarn.

sunrise over morning commute.

Time for more Godiva.

Coursera course fun.

Last week, the only thing that made me happy was hot tea and sleep. This week, I’m so thrilled to have a few sunny days and the ability to breathe.

What made you happy this week?

The post 52 Weeks of Happy (4/52) appeared first on Libertys Yarn.

(If you aren’t familiar with the book, it can be a fascinating look into your strengths and tendencies. I liken these types of books to educated horoscopes. LOL)

It reminded me of my experience with the first edition and I went scrambling for my test results. Not surprisingly my top strengths are Input and Learner – this loosely translates to calling me an information hoarder worthy of my own reality TV show.

A couple of months back, Jsandell suggested a Coursera business class with the hopes of building up the yarn businesses. I should have known that was the beginning of the end.

In the past six weeks I have hoarded collected a growing mass of free online college courses. It’s an input learner’s paradise. I never thought I would be able to say that I was learning Python via Stanford and Autism Technology via MIT.

All of this running about led to what is probably the most intriguing site yet, P2PU.org. It looks like it combs the interwebs for you and directs to the best learning spots. I’ll let you know how it goes. One thing for sure, there are no more excuses not to keep those little grey cells learning new things.

Have you taken an online course? What was the hardest part?

The post My Name is Liberty, and I’m a Learn-a-holic appeared first on Libertys Yarn.