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What the heck’s a popsocket?

I asked my students what these silly things on the back of their phones were, and why they were needed.  Apparently, phones are sufficiently heavy that you’ll drop them on your face while trying to read/text while lying down.  They also seem to help with taking selfies.  It turns out that they were thought up by a philosophy professor so tell that to your Mom and Dad when they ask why their paying so much money for your liberal-arts education.  Heck, I’ll even give you some inspiration, because one of my students bought me my very own popsocket (I feel sooooo millennial) and I just had to customize it.

My kickin’ T-Mobile slider phone – unlocked and now Popsocketed.

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4th of July in Brockport

We have been busy with our move to Brockport, NY.  More importantly, we have just finished getting internet installed so the website can be updated!  Trying to conduct a cross-country move over a national holiday has its challenges, but one advantage is that it feels like your new home town is throwing a welcome party!

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Sankyu very much

This past weekend, I successfully tested for my brown belt (Sankyu) in Judo.  I had started Judo in college (last century) and for over 15 years couldn’t find the willpower to get back in to the sport.  Then Kayla Harrison won gold in the 2012 Olympics.  Something about an American finally winning Judo gold gave me the motivation I needed to find Sensai Barnett at the Jiu Jitsu Institute in downtown Chicago. Searching the internet for judo clubs in Chicago, you’ll find the current web page is optimized for the Mosaic browser — (note: a new website is in the works) — but perhaps the club’s web presence is an allegory for the style of training one will receive: traditional.

Roneye (left), James (Right) and me (the only guy who broke a sweat).

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