Get It While It’s Cold

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Iorio’s Gelato opened the week of Art Fair, and they serve some really good stuff. When Silvia and I stopped there last week, they had a great selection, including several types of chocolate, lemon, and peanut butter. There must have been a couple dozen varieties, all told. The Belgian Chocolate gelato was really wonderful and at $2 for a “bambino” size a bargain, I think.

I’m a little concerned, though, that their location–on William, just west of Maynard, won’t give them the foot traffic they need to succeed. So, if you’re downtown, and want something cold and good, walk that extra block or two and have a gelato.

NRC Releases Framework for K-12 Science Education

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The National Research Council last week released a report that presents a new framework for K-12 science education and identifies the key scientific ideas and practices all students should learn by the end of high school.

The new framework is designed to help students gradually deepen their knowledge of core ideas in four disciplinary areas over multiple years of school, rather than acquire shallow knowledge of many topics.  And it strongly emphasizes the practices of science – helping students learn to plan and carry out investigations, for example, and to engage in argumentation from evidence.

The overarching goal of the framework, the committee said, is to ensure that by the end of 12th grade, all students have some appreciation of the beauty and wonder of science, the capacity to discuss and think critically about science-related issues, and the skills to pursue careers in science or engineering if they want to do so — outcomes that existing educational approaches are ill-equipped to achieve.

Here’s the outline of the framework:

  1. Scientific and Engineering Practices
    1. Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering)
    2. Developing and using models
    3. Planning and carrying out investigations
    4. Analyzing and interpreting data
    5. Using mathematics and computational thinking
    6. Constructing explanations (for science) and designing
      solutions (for engineering)
    7. Engaging in argument from evidence
    8. Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
  2. Crosscutting Concepts
    1. Patterns
    2. Cause and effect: Mechanism and explanation
    3. Scale, proportion, and quantity
    4. Systems and system models
    5. Energy and matter: Flows, cycles, and conservation
    6. Structure and function
    7. Stability and change
  3. Disciplinary Core Ideas
    • Physical Sciences
      • PS 1: Matter and its interactions
      • PS 2: Motion and stability: Forces and interactions
      • PS 3: Energy
      • PS 4: Waves and their applications in technologies for information transfer
    • Life Sciences
      • LS 1: From molecules to organisms: Structures and processes
      • LS 2: Ecosystems: Interactions, energy, and dynamics
      • LS 3: Heredity: Inheritance and variation of traits
      • LS 4: Biological evolution: Unity and diversity
    • Earth and Space Sciences
      • ESS 1: Earth’s place in the universe
      • ESS 2: Earth’s systems
      • ESS 3: Earth and human activity
    • Engineering, Technology, and the Applications of Science
      • ETS 1: Engineering design
      • ETS 2: Links among engineering, technology, science, and society
The Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) decried the lack of computing-specific content, but I think the NRC pretty much has it right. I like the section on scientific and engineering practices a lot. It seems to me that teaching critical thinking is a lot more important than teaching the technology du jour.
An electronic version of the entire report is available for free on the National Academies Press website.

The Trip: Not Worth Taking

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The trailer makes “The Trip” look like a funny romp through the English countryside with British actor Steve Coogan and comedian Rob Brydon as they visit some of the country’s finest restaurants for a magazine article. Instead, what  you get is the story of a middle-age crisis (Coogan’s) as the two slog through series of pretentious eating establishments, annoying one another—and the audience—with impressions ranging from Sean Connery to Woody Allen.

Perhaps I would have enjoyed this movie if I were more familiar with the actors, but I rather doubt it. This is a story that’s been told over and over by better filmmakers, i.e. Woody Allen, and not even the bucolic scenery of the Northern English countryside could save it.

West Side Story Worth Seeing

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The Michigan Theater is showing “West Side Story” tonight as part of its Summer Classics Film Series. If you want to get an idea of how much life has changed in the last 60 years, go see this movie.

Set in the 1950s, this musical revolves around the conflict between two teenage gangs: the Jets and the Sharks. The Jets are made up of Italians, Poles, and Irish boys, that is to say immigrants from a earlier era. The Sharks are the newcomers, Puerto Ricans who have just recently come to the U.S. The Jets are trying to protect their “turf,” while the Sharks are trying to carve out a piece for themselves, if not take it over outright.

The way they conduct their gang warfare is laughable by today’s standards. When the Jets decide to challenge the Sharks to a “rumble,” the big debate is over what weapons will be used. Will it be fists or knives or even (gasp) guns.

Also, it’s kind of unclear over what they’re actually fighting for. Neither seems to be involved in any illegal activity outside of loitering outside the candy store. Neither gang is selling drugs or involved in gambling or prostitution.

Even the names of the two gangs are throwbacks to an earlier age. Can you imagine street gangs being named “Jets” or “Sharks” today?

If you haven’t yet seen this movie, I recommend you check it out. The print is a recently-restored 35 mm print, and it looks great. Couple that with a great story and great music and dancing, and you have a great moviegoing experience.

Quirky or Quality or Both?

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A recent story on AnnArbor.Com reported on the closing of @burger, a hamburger restaurant that opened just a year or so ago. Someone also noted that Squares, a couple of blocks west of @burger on Liberty, also looked as though it had closed. (A sign on the door said they were closed for “summer vacation,” but there’s no date for when they plan to return, so it doesn’t sound to me like they’re planning to return.)

When these places opened, there was talk about these two places being “new concepts.” On the closings, one guy noted, “Where do I go when I want a burger concept? Nowhere. I don’t especially like eating concepts, so I find myself wanting them not all that often.”

My comment would be that the people behind these restaurants should have concentrated on the food rather than the concept.  The reason that Squares is closed is not that the concept was bad, but that the food was bad. The food at @burger on the other hand wasn’t bad, nor was the concept, but it just didn’t stick out enough in a market with plenty of places to buy a burger to draw in business.

Thinking a little bit more about this, has led me to develop a theory about the survivability of new restaurants in Ann Arbor. That is, they have to be quirky or quality or both. Those with both, such as Frita Batidos (see my previous post) are sure successes.

Those that are simply quirky must be really quirky. Squares was quirky, but kind of corporate at the same time. That kind of quirkiness didn’t make up for the poor quality of the food. If you want really quirky, think Blimpy Burger or the Fleetwood Diner.

This is only a partly-baked (pun intended) idea, but I think there’s a kernel (another pun intended) of truth in this. What do you think?

Frita Batidos: Que Rica!

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When the guy behind the cash register at Frita Batidos said, “That will be $24.38,” I thought to msyelf, “Geez, that seems kind of expensive for two sandwiches and a couple of drinks.” After the servers brought out the food, though, I changed my mind. It was worth every penny.

What did we get for our 24 bucks? Well, I had a Chorizo frita ($7) , a small side of tropical cole slaw ($1), and a coconut cream batido ($4). Silvia ordered a pulled-pork frita ($9) and a bottle of Fanta ($2).

What is a frita? Well, the website says, “ The FRITA is a Cuban burger made from spicy chorizo served with shoestring fries on top in a soft egg bun.” Chorizo is a spicy sausage, and the Frita Batidos version is very spicy, just how I like it.

Batidos, according to the website, are “tropical mikeshakes made with fresh fruit,crushed ice and a drop of sweetened milk – with or without rum.” I had my coconut cream batido without rum. Actually, I’m not really sure if Frita Batidos even has a liquor license yet.

When they first brought mine out, I thought it was kind of small, but after the first taste, I changed my mind again. It was so rich and smooth, and so full of coconut, that it was more than enough.

The batido was the perfect counterpoint to the frita. I’d take a bite of the spicy, greasy chorizo frita, then a sip of the cool, creamy batido. It really was great.

Equally good was Silvia’s pulled pork sandwich. It wasn’t drenched in barbecue sauce, like most pulled pork sandwiches, but really well spiced. Instead of the french fries that I got on my sandwich, she had a serving of the tropical cole slaw. The two tastes worked really well together.

Would we go back? SURE! For one thing, I want to try all the different types of batidos they have. They also serve breakfast, and I’m dying to try the churros.

Frita Batidos
117 W. Washington :: Ann Arbor, MI 48104 :: p 734.761.2882 :: frita@fritabatidos.com
11am – Midnight M-F :: 10am – Midnight Weekends :: Weekend Brunch until 2pm

Don’t Miss the Peonies!

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Shortly after I moved to Ann Arbor, I was walking around, just exploring down around the medical campus. As I proceeded down Washington Heights, I began to smell this wonderful aroma. I turned into the Arb there, and set eyes on the Peony Garden for the first time. It was so beautiful and smelled so wonderful I could hardly believe it.

According to the Matthaei Botanical Gardens website, the Peony Garden was donated to Nichols Arboretum in 1922 by Dr. W. E. Upjohn, founder of the Upjohn Pharmaceutical Company in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was designed by former Arboretum director, Aubrey Tealdi, and opened to the public in 1927. It holds nearly 800 peonies when filled to capacity.

 

Silvia and I just got back from visiting the Peony Garden, and the blooms are well under way. Some of them in fact, have already started to lose their petals, but many more have not even started blooming. This week is going to be the best time to get down there and see it.

The Peony Garden is one of the jewels of Ann Arbor. Go see it…and smell it.

Now, it’s Summer!

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Yesterday—Memorial Day—is traditionally the start of summer here in Michigan. And, what a first day of summer it was. It was delightfully hot and humid.

The kind of hot and humid that makes the sweat roll off you.

The kind of hot and humid that makes you sigh when you enter an air-conditioned building.

The kind of hot and humid that caresses you when you exit that same building.

After the cool, wet, dreary spring we just had I’m looking forward to a warm, sunny summer. How about you?

The Joy of Writing

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Henry Huang

Henry Huang, a Ford Motor Co. engineer, is Test&Measurement World's Test Engineer of the Year.

One of the things that I do for a living is write articles about electronics and software technology. For the past couple of years, I mostly let that part of my business go in favor of working on websites. Since the beginning of the year, however, I’ve gotten more requests to write, and I’m really enjoying it a lot.

Before going freelance, I was employed by Test&Measurement World, an electronics trade magazine covering that industry. Recently, I got a chance to write a slightly different kind of piece for them—a personal profile of Henry Huang, TMW’s 2011 Test Engineer of the Year. That’s Henry at right.

He’s not only a great test engineer, but a great guy, too. To make a long story short, he’s not only managed to have a successful professional career, he’s the father of two children and a community volunteer.

At the risk of tooting my own horn (pun intended), I think my story about him turned out pretty well. It was certainly a lot of fun to write.

Water Hill Music Festival: A Unique Event in a Unique Town

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When Silvia and I first saw the ad for the Water Hill Music Festival in the April Ann Arbor Observer, we thought it was the Fake Ad for the month. When we couldn’t find the clue for the fake ad, we typed the URL into a browser and visited the website. “How cool,” we thought.

It was very cool, too. 60—yes 60!—different groups signed up to play Sunday afternoon from the front porches and backyards of 60 different houses in the neighborhood bounded my Miller, Brooks, Sunset, and Spring Streets. They included Ann Arbor favorites, such as George Bedard, Dick Siegel, and the Chenille Sisters, as well as lesser-known bands and amateur musicians that just happen to live in the neighborhood.

All the performers that I heard were just great. The only bad thing was that we weren’t able to get started until 3:30, and by that time, we’d missed an hour and a half. (The first performers got started at 2:00 pm, the final performers finishing at 6:00 pm.)

I’m not sure if there are plans for another Water Hill (which, by the way, gets its name from the Ann Arbor water plant at the top of the hill on Sunset) Music Festival, but I sure hope so. The website doesn’t say anything about a 2012 festival, but I’d suggest going to the website and contacting the organizers if you want to see one next year.

While you’re at it, volunteer to help out, either financially or some other way. One way might be to buy a t-shirt. I didn’t have enough money with me on Sunday, but I’ve e-mailed them, asking if there are any still available.

At any rate, thumbs up to this year’s organizers. This was a fantastic event, and I’m glad that I was a part of it.