harry potter
gregladen | July 13, 2016Not yet.
As you know, JK Rowling is the author of the famous Harry Potter series of books (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, etc.), and more recently, of a series of really excellent crime novels (if you've not read them, you need to: The Cuckoo's Calling, The Silkworm, and Career of Evil, with a fourth book on the way, I hear).
Intuit's Max Deutsch fed the seven Harry Potter books to a computer and told it to write a new chapter. It did. It came out as gibberish.
However, it isn't just random gibberish. When you read the new text, you can see that the dialog for each character is…
oracknows | January 18, 2016I've been a big fan of David Bowie ever since high school. True, I didn't appreciate his less mainstream stuff as intensely as I do now until I had been in college a couple of years, but it's not an inaccurate to characterize the effect of David Bowie's art on my life as significant. Basically, I own pretty much everything he ever committed to CD or vinyl and have seen him in concert every time he's toured, starting with his Serious Moonlight Tour in 1983 and ending with his appearance at Madison Square Garden during his Reality Tour in December 2003. I saw him with Trent Reznor in 1995, and…
gregladen | November 5, 2014The Potter Metaphor
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is the first in a series of books that are metaphorical of the central theme of politics and society in the Western world. Voldemort represents purity of race and racism, the good Witches and Wizards of Hogwarts represent the struggle of self aware consensus around the idea of fairness. The key protagonists -- Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, together with a few others -- succeed because of the diversity in ability they collectively represent.
One of the key moments in J. K. Rowling’s book is the solution of the potions…
gregladen | August 16, 2013I recently discovered that there is a widespread belief that there is a huge, gaping, plot hole in Harry Potter Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowlings. Or so people say. Greta Christina pointed it out on a Facebook post of Sarah Moglia's, and when I googled it, I discovered widespread dismay about the pointlessness of the entire book.
The claim is made that there is no reason for any of the things that happen in this book to have happened. The ultimate result of most of the book's plot is to get Harry Potter transported to the clutches of the Dark Lord in order to contribute, as an ingredient, in…
kcollins | April 27, 2011When Alan McCormack began his career in education several decades ago as a seventh-grade science teacher in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., he tried everything he could to enhance students' interest in the concepts of science.
"I first thought I could be successful automatically just by following techniques used by my college science professors -- lecturing and writing concepts on the blackboard - but that wasn't very engaging for seventh graders," laughs Alan, who serves as professor of Science Education at San Diego State University in San Diego, CA, and as president of the National Science Teachers…
grrlscientist | July 3, 2010tags: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, film, movie, trailer, entertainment, streaming video
Those of you who are Harry Potter fans will LOVE this! This is the second trailer from the penultimate installment of the Harry Potter films; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I, which was shown at the MTV movie awards 2010. HP7a will hit theaters on November 19th, 2010 [it's being released in Belgium on 17 November, so guess where I'll go to watch it on opening night?].
grrlscientist | June 28, 2010tags: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, film, movie, trailer, entertainment, streaming video
Those of you who are Harry Potter fans will LOVE this! This is the first trailer from the penultimate installment of the Harry Potter films; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I, which will hit theaters on November 19th, 2010 [it's being released in Belgium on 17 November, so guess where I'll go to watch it on opening night?]. And it looks like the entire film will be offered in IMAX 3D and in 3D, too! Yeow!! I am exciiited and I'll bet you are too! And here's the first trailer,…
grrlscientist | January 31, 2010tags: Trumpeter Hornbill, Bycanistes bucinator, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Trumpeter Hornbill, Bycanistes bucinator, photographed in a classroom in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, somewhere in Scotland, UK. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
[larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
[Mystery bird] photographed in a classroom in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, somewhere in Scotland, UK. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
[larger view].
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | January 31, 2010tags: christianity, religion, cults, mind control, social phenomenon, Harry Potter, witchcraft, beliefs, education, streaming video
This video is a report on the christian wingnuts' response to Harry Potter -- it seems this is another cult of mind-control that is unable to distinguish between reality and fantasy. Since today is my birthday, and I am a rabid Harry Potter fan, I will spend this entire day brushing up on my spells and wand-work by watching Harry Potter DVDs. Since alcohol will also be involved, I urge you all to watch out, lest I (accidentally?) change someone into a toad.…
grrlscientist | December 25, 2009tags: Dangerous Wands: The Ghetto Harry Potter, Harry Potter, teaching, poverty, funny, humor, parody, streaming video
A little birdie whispered into my ear about this video .. to say the least, as a former college professor and Harry Potter fan, I LOVE it, and I think you will enjoy it, too!
rallain | August 26, 2009I re-watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix last night and my wife and I noticed something about teaching. Of course I mentioned that this would make a good blog post (and she may still post it on her blog, but I can't help myself). If you have not read the book or seen the movie, I don't think I will give away any serious spoilers - but who hasn't at least seen the movie? If you were going to see it (or read it) you would have done so by now - right?
The Order of the Phoenix shows at least three different examples of teachers and teachings in the movie. Here they are:
Dolores…
grrlscientist | July 18, 2009tags: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Movie Premiere in NYC, interview, celebrity gossip, funny, streaming video
This is a streaming video of the new Harry Potter movie: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and its premier in NYC. All commercials are removed, so you can sit down and watch this with your coffee uninterrupted. I recommend that you see this film, if you haven't done so already. This film is so good that I am already planning to watch it again on the big screen [32:24]
grrlscientist | July 16, 2009tags: Finland, Harry Potter films, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, HP6, film, trailer, streaming video, photographs
[0300 Helsinki time, after the film ended] The entrance to the theatre showing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (HP6) in Helsinki, Finland at 6 minutes after midnight. [Harry Potter ja Puoliverinen Prinssi]. There are three theatres at Finnkino showing the film this night.
The doors open and we get ready to enter the theatre!
Yeowza! The movie screen is the largest I've ever seen -- 184.8 square metres (8.8 x 21 m -- or 29 x 69 ft) -- and this particular…
grrlscientist | July 16, 2009tags: The Magic Behind Harry Potter 6, interview, celebrity gossip, funny, streaming video
This is a streaming video of the new Harry Potter movie: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. This special contains cast interviews and exclusive footage of the new movie. [Part 5/5] [5:49]
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
grrlscientist | July 15, 2009tags: The Magic Behind Harry Potter 6, interview, celebrity gossip, funny, streaming video
This is a streaming video of the new Harry Potter movie: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. This Special contains cast interviews and exclusive footage of the new movie. [Part 4/5] [10:13]
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
grrlscientist | July 15, 2009tags: The Magic Behind Harry Potter 6, interview, celebrity gossip, funny, streaming video
This is a streaming video of the new Harry Potter movie: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. This special contains cast interviews and exclusive footage of the new movie. [Part 3/5] [10:15]
Part 1
Part 2
grrlscientist | July 15, 2009tags: The Magic Behind Harry Potter 6, interview, celebrity gossip, funny, streaming video
This is a streaming video of the new Harry Potter movie: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. This Special contains cast interviews and exclusive footage of the new movie. [Part 2/5] [10:15]
Part 1
grrlscientist | July 15, 2009tags: The Magic Behind Harry Potter 6, interview, celebrity gossip, funny, streaming video
This is a streaming video of the new Harry Potter movie: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. This Special contains cast interviews and exclusive footage of the new movie. [Part 1/5 -- the remainder of the parts will be posted tomorrow] [10:12]
grrlscientist | July 10, 2009tags: Harry Potter and the Midlife Crisis, comedy, humor, funny, streaming video
How will the Harry Potter movies finally end? Don't wait for the book! Here is the exclusive story [4:15]
grrlscientist | July 9, 2009tags: Harry Potter, kiss, Harry Potter and the Magical Kiss, online poll, fun
Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) kissed by Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall)
World Premiere of Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince at the Empire Leicester Square cinema, London, England.
Image: WENN.com
Kiss kiss, kiss: it seems that everyone is thinking about kissy-face (snogging as the Brits say) -- and Harry Potter. In fact, after reading all those skanky tabloids, I've learned that Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) is an excellent kisser while Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) could use some further instruction in…