A collection of random links and comments:

• RT @suehatwilkes I’d like to invite you and your readers to join an online Math 2.0 unconference Feb. 12-19. http://bit.ly/7zw6T8 #
• Wow, a lot of the MAA PREP programs this year are running online. http://www.maa.org/prep/2010/ #
• If the first question on the survey isn’t clear, then I’m not taking the survey. End of story. #
• It’s official. I get to move to the office next door (bigger, and a window in the door, door can be CLOSED during office hours = quiet). #
• We’ve been trying to figure out a name for the ‘perfect math classroom’ we’re trying to put together. Contenders: Math ELITE and GITMO Room (joke) #
• Math ELITE: Engaged Learning Interactive Technology Environment (circular tables, whiteboards on 3 walls, smartboard, doc camera + more) #
• RT @lrnchat: This week on #lrnchat > Facilitating Learning with the Non-Wired Workforce: What’s New? What’s Not? http://j.mp/lrnchat #
• Finished reading “The Overflowing Brain” while we may not be good at multitasking initially, we may be slowly training our brains to do it. #
• Using soft skills sims? Help master’s research: take online survey (& circulate to users): http://bit.ly/4ABFE7 #
• What will the Internet look like in 2020? Short answer: We wouldn’t recognize it today. http://bit.ly/8gmDgX #
• The cover of my new book, Algebra Activities (1000 pages): http://screencast.com/t/ZTgyZGRiYz #
• Just set up my Amazon author page. It’s not available yet, but it sure was fun to do it! (21 Algebra Activities workbooks now listed) #
• RT @tomwhitby: PLN If the Interactive Whiteboards are for kids to be interactive shouldn’t they be able to reach them? Duh!!! #

Some short 140-character rants about how Wolfram Alpha deals with logarithms and complex numbers:

• The way @wolfram_alpha does logarithms is still driving me NUTS with regards to students. Why can’t they fix this? #
• A logarithm is DEFINED as the inverse of an exponential function in every course below calculus. It is NOT defined for x<=0. @wolfram_alpha #
• When you integrate du/u, the result is ln(abs(u)) … not log(u) … for heaven’s sake. Reference? About 20 calc textbooks. @wolfram_alpha #
• Problem is not so much the ln vs log thing. I can explain that one. It’s inclusion of complex answers with no way to remove. @wolfram_alpha #
• Don’t make me write a long and detailed blog post about how this is screwing up my students. @wolfram_alpha #
• I just wish they would give us the option for results that include complex numbers and answers that do not. @wolfram_alpha @MikeCr #
• W|A can be for educators, scientists, and “everyone else” if they just give us the two options … complex included or not. @wolfram_alpha #

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