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Kingdom of Germany β†’ Nelson Mandela

Kingdom of Germany β†’ Nelson Mandela ⏰ 00:52 🦢6 (Kingdom_of_Germany β†’ Medieval_Germany β†’ Germany β†’ Netherlands β†’ Cape_Colony β†’ South_Africa β†’ Nelson_Mandela)

Whenever conversations come up about heroes, I immediately think of Nelson Mandela. He is my guy and he has been since I was about 7 years old.

He is the reason why I wanted to live in South Africa, and why I realized that dream when I was 23. I lived in Burgersfort, Limpopo for a year and it was heart breaking and beautiful. I fell in love with South African music there and I continue to love it to this day.

I am in the middle of the Slate podcast series about this brilliant man right now and this is a good reminder to finish that. I have been savoring it I suppose.

Did you know Nelson Mandela had a lot to say about Palestine and that there is a statue of this brilliant man at Mandela Square in Ramallah?

I propose a “learn more about your hero” holiday where you fall deeper in love with those who inspire you.

The Wiki Game Daily

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I hate all these new browsers.

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Ozone β†’ Catapult

Ozone β†’ Catapult ⏰ 02:13 🦢7 (Ozone β†’ Solid β†’ Tensile_strength β†’ Tension_(physics) β†’ Potential_energy β†’ Bow_and_arrow β†’ Weapon_of_war β†’ Catapult)

Ok, I know how nerdy this sounds, but I actually felt a little adrenaline with this one. I am not knowledgeable about physics at all. I often feel like the most unskilled nerd when hard sciences get talked about. That said, I felt myself getting nearer to the target article link by link with this one.

I am continuing to post these as inspiration for myself to continue the ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi Wikipedia project. In these short sprint games, I come across the most beautifully written articles. Their layouts are just astounding. I hope to someday achieve this with the Hawaiian articles I am working on. I really hope I am not the only one working on it.

The Wiki Game Daily

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Islands host 1/3 of Earth’s plant species, conservation needed:

β€œThis comprehensive study reveals the important role islands play in Earth’s botanical richness,” said study co-author and UH Mānoa School of Life Sciences Professor Emeritus Tom Ranker. β€œBy quantifying the uniqueness of island flora and highlighting its vulnerability, this research underscores the urgent need for targeted conservation efforts to protect these irreplaceable hotspots of plant evolution.”

I’ve learned more about plants from living in HawaiΚ»i than I ever thought I would have. Sadly this is also what makes it the extinction capital,

Officially, 366 of the Hawaiian plant taxa are listed as endangered or threatened, and an additional 48 species are proposed as endangered. While only comprising less than 1% of the U.S. land mass, HawaiΚ»i contains 44% of the nation’s endangered and threatened plant species.
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Loan β†’ Bathing

Loan β†’ Bathing ⏰ 01:18 🦢6 (Loan β†’ Mortgage_loan β†’ Home_ownership β†’ House β†’ Bathroom β†’ Public_bathing β†’ Bathing)

This was a piece of cake. Pretty straightforward when the articles are that broad. I was wondering how getting from house to bathing would be, but when you have a set of well-written articles, easy.

The Wiki Game Daily

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Ariana Grande β†’ Day

Ariana Grande β†’ Day ⏰ 03:16 🦢7 (Ariana_Grande β†’ 40th_People%27s_Choice_Awards β†’ Eastern_Time_Zone β†’ Time_in_the_United_States β†’ Daylight_saving_time_in_the_United_States β†’ Daylight_saving_time β†’ Solar_time β†’ Day)

This was a fun one. I had no strategy at first, but I thought following “time” would get me there.

The Wiki Game Daily

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Prejudice β†’ The Simpsons

Prejudice β†’ The Simpsons ⏰ 03:43 🦢8 (Prejudice β†’ Cancel_culture β†’ Moral_panic β†’ Media_panic β†’ Violence_and_video_games β†’ Super_Nintendo_Entertainment_System β†’ List_of_Super_Nintendo_Entertainment_System_games β†’ The_Simpsons:_Bart%27s_Nightmare β†’ The_Simpsons)

I feel that I should have done this much quicker. I mean, come on, the moral panic around The Simpsons is one of my earlier memories (I was unfamiliar with the term media panic). When it first came on TV, I was absolutely not allowed to watch the show. Bart was a little shit, and Homer was horrible to him. A few years later, I became a huge fan of The Simpsons and started building a small collection of VHS books, comics, toys, and games. One of my favorite games was the arcade, of course, but also the games I had on my Game Gear. Sega was on the list for violence and video games, but I felt that SNES was a safer bet.

The Wiki Game Daily

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How a Podcast Toppled the Reading Instruction Canon

How a Podcast Toppled the Reading Instruction Canon:

Forty-five states and the District of Columbia have passed laws pertaining to teaching children how to read according to the science of reading since 2019β€”and about 15, according to Hanford’s count, are directly in response to her reporting. In 2022, Lucy Calkins, creator of the Units of Study reading curriculum investigated in β€œSold a Story” and used by nearly a quarter of all U.S. elementary schools, revised her curricula to include more phonics. Meanwhile, sales at Heinemann, one of the biggest publishers of reading curricula, including Fountas & Pinnell, declined 75 percent in 2023, according to APM Reports, as schools have opted to invest in more evidence-aligned approaches.

I am only on episode 4 right now, but I have already talked to several co-workers who are familiar with the podcast. I had no idea that this has already had the impact that it has. So happy to see Heinemann losing money.

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Rubber Duck β†’ Brooklyn Bridge

Rubber Duck β†’ Brooklyn Bridge ⏰ 01:58 🦢7 (Rubber_duck β†’ Rubber_duck_race β†’ River_Thames β†’ Tower_Bridge β†’ Moveable_bridge β†’ Marine_Parkway%E2%80%93Gil_Hodges_Memorial_Bridge β†’ Brooklyn β†’ Brooklyn_Bridge)

This was a fairly straight shot. I immediately thought of how they do the Chicago Ducky Derby to fundraise for Special Olympics and more.

The Wiki Game Daily

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Oof. Do you ever encounter something so beautiful it felt like you got punched in the stomach? That is what my first listen through of the new Sam Wilkes album “iiyo iiyo iiyo”.

Pour yourself some tea. Light some incense. Enjoy.

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Some times it takes years

β€˜O ke Au i Kāhuli From Language Learning to Language Acquisition | A Personal Narrative of Kumu Evolution:

When reflecting on the Hawaiian Language Revitalization Movement, and the mass of speakers needed to not only make β€˜Εlelo HawaiΚ»i impactful but thrive, we have a long way to go. I am not just referring to those who gained the ability to speak, but to those who truly feel joyful and free to use ʻōlelo HawaiΚ»i in different contexts beyond a classroom settingβ€”free from critique, free from feeling like every sentence is being judged for grammatical accuracy. As a Kumu, I am constantly reflecting and thinking about how I can do better for my students. How do I ensure that my instruction is resulting in not just fluency but a true enjoyment of learning the language, beyond the metacognitive and metalinguistics?

I was able to hear from Dr. Kalani Makekau-Whittaker today about his discovery of Krashen’s Input Hypothesis and how it changed his life by changing his teaching. I studied Second Language Studies at the University of HawaiΚ»i-Mānoa, but have not heard much of what I learned applied to ʻŌlelo HawaiΚ»i until today. Being in a room with Hawaiian language teachers uncovering these truths of acquisition vs. learning was a beautiful moment.

For those unfamiliar with Krashen’s theories, they boil down to language acquisition occurring when learners are exposed to “comprehensible input” - messages they can mostly understand, with a level of challenge just beyond their current competence (i+1). Krashen argues that language is acquired subconsciously through meaningful interaction rather than through direct instruction or repetition of grammar rules. The input hypothesis suggests that providing learners with comprehensible input, rather than forcing them to speak before they are ready, is the key to successful language acquisition.

Language learning, as opposed to language acquisition, is learning about the language and is a very tortuous process. With a revitalized language, it is very rare not to have linguists influence education, and this has resulted in a culture of criticism. I understand how and why the pendulum has swung so far from the 70s revitalization movement, where folks were welcome to begin learning the language to know where there is a real fear of being wrong and deemed incorrect by the gatekeepers. High standards are excellent in many fields of practice, academic and culturally based, but in language, it must be realistic.

One of the final aspects of Krashen’s hypothesis is about the affective filter. The learning environment needs to be almost, if not entirely, stress-free. We need a space with no anxiety present, just like those where second language learners are invited to make mistakes and where the content is more important than the formation.

I am so grateful for this experience and to see that these ideas are spreading to spaces that are needed even decades after it was initially posited.

What I see now for me as a learner and an advocate is the need for much, much, much, much more comprehensible input and that is where my Wikipedia project comes in.

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Political Spectrum β†’ Tractor

Political Spectrum β†’ Tractor ⏰ 02:33 🦢7 (Political_spectrum β†’ Conservatism β†’ Conservatism_in_North_America β†’ Republican_Party_(United_States) β†’ Southern_United_States β†’ Maize β†’ Combine_harvester β†’ Tractor)

I was looking for rural and farmland and found it pretty quickly this time. Not much of a challenge, but I did get a nice peek at the Maize article that mentions the Three Sisters planting method that I just read about in Braiding Sweetgrass.

The Wiki Game Daily

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Random Variable β†’ Hopscotch

Random Variable β†’ Hopscotch ⏰ 05:20 🦢16

(Random_variable β†’ Statistical_graphics β†’ Chart β†’ Diagram β†’ Cave_painting β†’ List_of_Stone_Age_art β†’ History_of_painting β†’ Zinc_oxide β†’ Paint β†’ Chalk_paint β†’ Public_works β†’ Park β†’ Public_open_space β†’ Public_park β†’ Playground β†’ Playground_game β†’ Hopscotch)

Ok, so I tried this one three times and got interrupted each time so this is not a fair representation of the difficulty here. I was initially trying another path that would get me to Hopscotch, the children’s programming language, thinking it would lead me to my destination, but that definitely didn’t work.

The Wiki Game Daily

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Sea of Azov β†’ Balloon

Sea of Azov β†’ Balloon ⏰ 03:19 🦢6

(Sea_of_Azov β†’ Grey_seal β†’ Canada β†’ Platinum_group β†’ Periodic_table β†’ Helium β†’ Balloon)

Not bad in terms of footprint, but I spent a lot of time in the first three articles. I thought if I could get to Canada, then I could get to Wisconsin, which is home to Delavan, which is home to the International Clown Hall of Fame. No such luck, and that wouldn’t have helped me anyway after I went poking around there once the game was done.

The Wiki Game Daily

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The outfits in “Sushi Glory Hole” are the peak of men’s fashion.

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Foam β†’ Unicorn

Foam β†’ Unicorn ⏰ 02:23 🦢9

(Foam β†’ Baby_seat β†’ Bike_child_seat β†’ Bicycle_saddle β†’ Saddle β†’ Domestication_of_the_horse β†’ Horse β†’ List_of_historical_horses β†’ List_of_fictional_horses β†’ Unicorn)

This was a weird one. There were much fewer common concepts in the foam article than I had expected. I was able to get to my destination though through a pathway that became obvious when I saw the word saddle.

I actually played this one as an icebreaker, warm-up activity with my master’s cohort and I got to see all of their thinking as well. This is why I love The Wiki Game. This peek into another person’s thought process is endlessly fascinating to me. Here are their paths.

(Foam β†’ Old_High_German β†’ Frisian_languages β†’ Frisians β†’ Friesland β†’ Friesian_horse β†’ Horse_breed β†’ List_of_horse_breeds β†’ Unicorn)

(Foam β†’ Old_High_German β†’ Old_High_German_literature β†’ Merseburg_Charms β†’ Folklore β†’ Childlore β†’ Fantasy β†’ Mythical_creature β†’ Unicorn)

(Foam β†’ Materials_science β†’ Electron β†’ Lightning β†’ Earth β†’ Planetary_habitability β†’ Bacteria β†’ Predation β†’ Herbivory β†’ Animal β†’ Mythology β†’ Fable β†’ Legendary_creature β†’ Unicorn)

(Foam β†’ Dispersed_media β†’ Fog β†’ Mist β†’ Refraction β†’ Rainbow β†’ Rainbows_in_mythology β†’ Leprechaun β†’ Mushroom β†’ Morphology_(biology) β†’ Ancient_Greek β†’ Netherlands β†’ Castles β†’ Water_well β†’ Spring_(hydrology) β†’ Narcissus_(mythology) β†’ Eros β†’ Cupid_and_Psyche β†’ Fairy_tale β†’ Unicorn)

(Foam β†’ Foam_party β†’ Carnival β†’ Cirque_du_Soleil β†’ Equestrian_vaulting β†’ Horse β†’ Unicorn)

(Foam β†’ Soap β†’ Soap_plant β†’ Chlorogalum_pomeridianum β†’ Petal β†’ Flora β†’ Fauna β†’ Extraterrestrial_life β†’ Extraterrestrial_intelligence β†’ Life_origination_beyond_planets β†’ Science_fiction β†’ Lists_of_fictional_species β†’ Lists_of_fictional_animals β†’ List_of_fictional_horses β†’ Winged_unicorn β†’ Unicorn)

(Foam β†’ Old_High_German β†’ French_language β†’ Crusades β†’ Holy_Land β†’ Belief β†’ Omnipotence β†’ God β†’ Greek_mythology β†’ List_of_Greek_mythological_creatures β†’ Unicorn)

(Foam β†’ Bread β†’ List_of_bread_dishes β†’ Fairy_bread β†’ Nonpareils β†’ Dessert β†’ Cake β†’ Icing_(food) β†’ Sprinkles β†’ Gingerbread β†’ Gingerbread_man β†’ Fairy_tale β†’ Unicorn)

The Wiki Game Daily

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DJ Blakey explains in this video a trick of flipping the turntable platter over to create a synth bass sound that blows my mind.

I miss the days of turntablism elevating what was possible with a turntable. The levels of creativity in that era were unreal.

Original DMC World final set here.

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I use iPhone Mirroring so much more than I expected to. Multiple times a day.

My work computer is still on macOS dog or monkey or whatever the previous generation was and I have felt without when I realize I can’t mirror my phone.

Update: Duh, I definitely should not use iPhone mirroring on my work computer

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Linda Wolf β†’ Rapping

Linda Wolf β†’ Rapping ⏰ 00:44 🦢3

(Linda_Wolf β†’ Elektra_Records β†’ Pete_Rock_%26_CL_Smooth β†’ Rapping)

I am only mildly familiar with her work, but had me wondering if rock and roll photographer is still a job. I would be interested if folks can still live on that narrow of work or need to branch out.

The Wiki Game Daily

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Glacial Landform β†’ Hat

I’m gonna start documenting my thought process from playing The Wiki Game. This is a peek into my brain. I will try to always post the day after so there are no spoilers.

Glacial Landform β†’ Hat ⏰ 01:06 🦢5

(Glacial_landform β†’ Andes β†’ Peru β†’ Quechua_people β†’ Bowler_hat β†’ Hat)

The Wiki Game Daily