Monday, February 11

Today is Monday of Week 5. Yes, it really is Week 5 already! Here is a link to the Week 5 assignments (and if you're using the grace period this morning, here are the Week 4 assignments).

Class Procedures and Reminders

Project Stack. First of all, THANK YOU to everybody for all the new project websites! You can check the stack to make sure I received your email. Meanwhile, with all these new website addresses, today I'll be updating the Myth-Folklore and Indian Epics project lists, and then I'll start updating the slideshow again on Tuesday.

Start the week with extra credit. If you put off doing the extra credit until the end of the week, you might run out of time, but you can do Week 5 extra credit at the start of the week, or at any time during the week. And if you haven't done the Back-up and Review option, that's a good one to do now, checking on your progress so far.

The following items are for fun and exploration:

Blog Stream. One of the Tech Tips is about making motivational poster graphics, like this lovely one from Alyx: Relax.

Free Book Online. Today's free book is a discovery I made just this weekend: it's an English translation of the Thai Ramayana, the Ramakien, online at the Chulalongkorn University Library in Thailand! So, for anyone who wants to read all about the legend of Hanuman and Suvannamaccha, the "Gold-Fish" mermaid, you can do that here! This is a painting of the two lovers from the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok:

Free Audiobook. Today's free audiobook is Stories from the Arabian Nights by Laurence Housman with illustrations by Edmund Dulac.

Featured Storybook. One of my favorite things about the Indian Epics is the abundance of women characters, and here's a Storybook about them: Women Who Take Charge. Sita, Draupadi, and Shurpanakha have endured traumatic events in their lives, but they all found the strength they needed to persist, and to reclaim their lives on their own terms.

India Video. Some of you in Indian Epics will probably choose this film by Nina Paley as your Ramayana option for this week: Sita Sings the Blues. It's a remarkable re-interpretation of the Ramayana, focusing on Sita:

Myth Video. This is another one from Crash Course: Mythical Horses.

Myth Item. Here's a map of America's Mythical Lake Monsters including the giant octopus that is supposed to live in Lake Thunderbird right in Oklahoma!

Writing. Prose has dialogue, and cartoons have... speech balloons.

Here is some advice for Monday and your brand-new week:

Growth Mindset Cats. This cat is ready for the new week: Stretch yourself so you can reach new goals.

And here's a TED-Ed video about new words: Where do new words come from?

Event on Campus. There will be an information session for OU in Puebla with FREE PAN DULCE in Bizzell in LL118 (near the Bookmark) from 9:30AM-11AM today (details).

Find out more about this and other events at the Campus Calendar online.

February 11: Frank Herbert. Today marks the anniversary of the death of the science fiction writer Frank Herbert in 1986 (he was born in 1920). His novel, Dune, published in 1965, is one of the most popular science fiction novels ever written. Below is a cover for a paperback edition of Dune, showing one of the mighty sandworms.

And here's an interview with Frank Hebert in 1982, a few years before his death:

Check out the Twitter stream for information and fun stuff during the day, or click here for past announcements.