Dean Baird

Today is my last day as Rio Americano's physics teacher. A road of 35 years comes to a close. I have teased much of this, but I saved the best for last. It's not to be missed. Going gentle into that good retirement? Not really my brand. youtu.be/ycHEuiXRIOY [4:45]

@UPS @UPS failed on this order, and revealed that failure is baked into the culture of the corporation. A 3-day package in transit arrived Denver Friday and didn’t depart Denver until Tuesday to be delivered Wednesday, Day 4. UPS is satisfied with this performance.

@phyzman Hi, Dean. Let's have a look at this shipment that you are expecting. Please DM your tracking number, delivery address, name, phone number, and email for assistance. -Sergio twitter.com/messages/compo…

My days of singing the praises of @UPS (over @FedEx) may be coming to a middle. FedEx has a prohibitive lead in the Delivery Disappointments Department, but UPS is fighting to contend. A 3rd-Day package (shipped 8/7) was last scanned 8/9 at 5:05am. Into the æther it has gone.

@UPS The good people of @Lensrentals paid UPS for 3rd day delivery on 8/7. UPS got the package from Memphis to Denver on 8/8. The package languished in Denver from 8/8 until 8/12. Resting on a shelf, collecting dust. Maybe UPS workers negotiated 3-day weekends into their contracts.

As I enter into Hour Three of @UPS “customer service” hold, I’m beginning to question my business choices.

Called customer service, and now *I’m* in the æther. 1:30 into an estimated 25-minute wait.

Overseas customer service promised a call back from the local hub. You already know how that went: into the æther.

@lyft The good people of Reddit assure me Lyft is on the hook for a $100 credit for a failed airport ride. Lyft has offered me $50. Either would only come in handy for those times when I’d *like* a ride but don’t really *need* a ride. Not really the most useful service.

@phyzman We are very sorry that the Lyft driver never picked you up. Can you please DM us, so we can discuss this further? twitter.com/messages/compo…

If @lyft is still on your phone, I strongly recommend deleting it ASAP. I scheduled a Lyft three days in advance and a driver accepted the job. When the appointed time came, it seems DANIEL “wasn’t feeling it” so Lyft left me stranded. Deletion ✅. Maybe @AskLyft can explain.

The genius of @DollarCars is that canceling a reservation on their website returns a “Something went wrong, try again later” message. So you call their toll-free number, only to be met with a “this line is not accepting calls” announcement. Well played, @DollarCars.

Bluesky, a social media alternative to X, sees huge growth after Trump's election win npr.org/transcripts/nx…

BlueSky seems to be emerging as the preferred refuge from X. Bluesky crosses the 15 million user mark - The Verge theverge.com/2024/11/13/242…

A Ken Burns deep dive into the life of Benjamin Franklin. His study of electricity is detailed here. Franklin was a thoroughgoing Anglophile until, while in London, the Brits cast him as the mastermind of the Boston Tea Party. Join or Die (1706-1774) teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Benjam…

A Question of Balance [PhET] by The Lessons of Phyz teacherspayteachers.com/Product/A-Ques…

This is a nice sim that scales from straightforward to “wait a minute!”. I wrote an activity for it. Link in the comments.

When NOVA's Decoding the Universe: Cosmos aired in May, I wondered if there were other "Decodings" in the works. It seems there were. At least one, anyway. Quantum. And I have questions. Decoding the Universe - 2. Quantum [PBS NOVA] teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Decodi…

Teacher friends and colleagues, if you find yourself in need of a break tomorrow, I have answers. The Lessons of Phyz teacherspayteachers.com/store/the-less…

Okay, #ITeachPhysics colleagues, the weekly challenge (following the on air puzzle) is for us. Sunday Puzzle: Guess these words from these sounds npr.org/2024/11/02/nx-…

Here's the episode on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=aYM-U3…

In time for tonight's episode of NOVA, covering Phobos, Ceres, Triton, Charon, and the Oort Cloud: The wandering worlds of the solar system. Solar System - 5. Wandering Worlds [PBS NOVA] teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Solar-…