Archive

A Magic Hat

All Aden wanted for his birthday was to ride on a bus.  All he had ever wanted was to ride on a bus.  But his parents told him that walking everywhere was better.  Aden didn’t think walking anywhere was better, and he thought it had more to do with money.  But money is something you… Read more »

[blue rare]—Small Acts of Grace

I watched a documentary two or three years ago in which the film crew spent a month recording the day-to-day life of a couple who were both working full time at minimum wage jobs and doing their best to raise several children while living in poverty.  One of the points of dramatic tension in the… Read more »

Scholarship of the Week

Scholarship name:  Syncrude/Athabasca University Aboriginal Scholarship Sponsored by:  Syncrude and AU Deadline:  September 30, 2023 Potential payout:  $2000 Eligibility restriction:  Applicants must be residents of Alberta and of Aboriginal ancestry (Status/Non-Status Indian, Inuit or Métis), and current or new AU students studying full-time in AU’s Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Management, or Bachelor of Science… Read more »

AU-Thentic Events

Library Chat Tues, Aug 29, 10:30 am to 2:30 pm MDT Online Hosted by AU Library www.athabascau.ca/library/index.html No pre-registration needed; access through chat box on home page Library Chat Wed, Aug 30, 10:30 am to 2:30 pm MDT Online Hosted by AU Library www.athabascau.ca/library/index.html No pre-registration needed; access through chat box on home page Library… Read more »

Research Assistant Opportunity—A Biologic Opportunity

Microbiology is about more than wearing bookish spectacles; a lot of fascinating lab work is involved.  In this posting, tar sands water shall be investigated by utilizing “whole cell bacterial biosensors for the detection of organic compounds (naphthenic acids and others) in tailings ponds wastewater”.  Some compounds are more desirable than others, not unlike weeds… Read more »

Hemiplegia—Migraines that can Paralyze

Imagine having a migraine that was so bad that it suddenly began to resemble the signs and symptoms of a stroke and you began to experience limited paralysis on one side of the body.  It is a scary thought, but it is reality for some people who struggle with really bad migraines.  This condition is… Read more »

Fly on the Wall—Not the Type to Take Personality Tests?

“She’s a backbiting gossiper who throws anyone under the bus as soon as they leave the room.  Nasty, fussy, impolite—just your type!” With sarcasm and passive aggression it’s easy to denigrate a person and categorize them, rightly, wrongly, or humorously.  Such pop psychology can be enacted whenever a conversation veers into being about people rather… Read more »

Student Sizzle—AU Social Media

Reddit AI Flagged.  A poster said an essay was rejected because it was mistakenly flagged as being sourced from AI.  To test the claim, the user tried several AI checkers and received inconsistent results.  Even an email was flagged as AI-generated–more so than the essay.  Another user said that Grammarly, too, can be flagged as… Read more »

What Can Body Language Tell You?

Does body language matter?  Until recently, I rarely noticed body language.  I could only recognize a face in a crowd if I spoke to the person at least seven times.  And to this day, many people smile and say hello to me, and they know me, and I enjoy them, but I can’t place who… Read more »