Active Reading

Alex gives you active reading tips in this latest installment of Tip a Bear. Be sure you view both sections.

How to Find Time to Read

I'm reading on my lunch break right now - I can't not read wherever I am. The first thing that catches my eye as I'm scrolling through the NY Times online (it wasn't delivered yet as I walked through the parking garage) is a piece I missed yesterday about reading on the subway in New York. Anyway, not only does it reinforce the message that there are lots of readers in the world who still like the printed-on-paper media style, but it gives some good strategies for blocking out distractions while reading. See what you think.

Read Every Day

What a wonderful day - for the first time since spring classes ended, the NY Times print edition is again on campus - and free. Pick up a copy in a variety of locations. Be aware of your surroundings and see how many NYT news racks you can spot. My favorite story today is an editorial essay titled "A One-Way Ticket to Mars." As indicated, the feasibility of sending a manned spacecraft to Mars is heightened if the crew decides to stay there since returning takes more fuel than can be stored, not to mention the extra weight required by the shields needed to protect the travelers on a round-trip flight. According to the author, numerous scientists and engineers from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory indicated they would be willing to do so for the adventure and the presumable benefit to society. Here's an analogy that Lawrence Krauss provided to support the rationale. He says, "Colonists and pilgrims seldom set off for the New World with the expectation of a return trip..." What do you think of that argument?