The Fault in Our Stars

I had a hard time picking this book up even though I knew it would be fantastic, but I knew it was sad (teenagers with cancer - ouch). I moved it around the house all summer and then finally on Sunday when I was due to spend a good hour and a half on public transit I decided to bring it along so I would have to start it. Of course, once I got going, the characters were so amazing, the dialogue so right, the scale of the story so perfect -- well, it was no problem staying with it. Good thing I didn't start bawling while I was on the train though. I managed to keep it in check pretty well until about 2/3 of the way in, but I won't tell you what happened then, other than the fact that I was not overly surprised.

In the hands of many other writers, the same story could have turned into melodramatic drivel. I am apprehensive about the film -- I think the film rights have already been sold. The characters speak with a bit of an Aaron Sorkin accent. They are clever and wisecracking in the face of crisis, and say the things you wish you were smart enough to say. They are erudite but not snobby. More importantly, the emotions come off as absolutely genuine, and it puts the notion of one's first love smack up against the prospect of one's last love.

Read The Fault in Our Stars but don't forget the tissues.

Here's another thing I found out I like about John Green - he is a fan of Vi Hart, so it reminded me to look at her Fibonacci videos again. Here is one of my favorites. You don't have to love math to love watching these videos.

Sing About Science & Math

I can remember the words and melodies to hundreds (thousands?) of songs, so it's not surprising that scientists are looking at how music can be used as a tool in the classroom to help students learn and retain important information. The Scout Report recently wrote about the Sing About Science website:

"A team of scientists interested in studying the 'usefulness of music in science and math education,' created this musical archive with funds provided by the National Science Foundation.

"First-time visitors should start by clicking on the "Featured Videos" area. Here they will find a few sample songs from topics that include biology, math, and engineering. Moving on, visitors can use the "Find/Add Songs" section to look for songs by keyword, song title, or performer. Visitors may want to start by listening to songs such as "Biochemistry, Biochemistry" (sung to the tune of "O Christmas tree") or "Protein biosynthesis" (sung to the tune of "My Bonny lies over the ocean"). Educators shouldn't miss the "Educating with Music" area, as it contains examples of how best to use these informative and melodious numbers in the classroom."

Most of what is here is music in an MP3 format, although there are some videos, many of which are hosted on YouTube. The database pulls up results that tell you if lyrics are available, and if you can hear an entire song or only a sample of it.