Khan Academy

I’m going to let you fellow stoners in on one of the greatest things since Pineapple Express: www.khanacademy.com. This is your one stop shop for learning anything math or science related. I kid you not when I say that this man can teach you a semester’s worth of calculus in an hours worth of free online videos documenting different solutions for a huge array of problems. He was recently cited by Bill Gates of Microsoft as one of the innovators of the future.

His simple approach on each topic provides a professionally abridged version in which he teaches what he believes works best, while touching on every obscure formula you could possibly come across in class. And believe me when I say this, Salman Khan is a brilliant teacher. His ability to draw you into the learning process and allow you to come out with so much knowledge on the other side is really remarkable.

From a stoner’s point of view, his voice is enrapturing. I can’t say what it is but there’s a 60’s sportscaster’s captivating voice that delivers each video in a concise and easily understandable manner. The ease with which you can watch a video and simply let the information wash over you is incredible.

Whether you’re someone who is interested in learning something in a variety of mathematical and scientific disciplines, or a student looking to cram before a last minute test, Khan Academy will help you achieve at levels you had thought impossible.

Thoughts on Birding

The Elusive, Northern Parula

To be honest, I never thought much of birding until I registered for courses a tad faded and come spring term of senior year, Ornithology, boom, what the f*ck.

At the time when I was choosing courses, I must have envisioned long field trips during which we walked through dew dropped fields and peered up in healthy curiosity at the trees, brimming full of tropically feathered birds just waiting for me to identify them.

In reality, the class did go on a weekly field trip through dew dropped fields, but the dew was accompanied by dawn on our 5 a.m. birding adventures. The birds, though funny enough to watch as they darted about their busy lives, were dull greys and browns, and the only colorful birds we saw were Robins.

The bonus of taking a class like Ornithology is, with such a specialized topic, you’re guaranteed to have a teacher who is utterly infatuated with the field. Their devotion to the subject alone make the other three classes a week easy to emerge yourself in, and to feel in harmony with the learning.