iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 04/07/2026

“Indifference to evil is more insidious than evil itself. It is a silent justification affording evil acceptability in society.” Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel understood that catastrophic cruelty does not occur in a vacuum. More: jamespburke.com/blog/freedom...

jamespburke.com

Freedom 250

What does it mean to live in a free society? If “freedom isn’t free,” what price does it demand of us, if any? “Indifference to evil is more insidious than evil itself. It is a silent justificatio...

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 10/06/2025

"This game started as a test to answer my student’s question about what to do in multiplayer games when all players share the same screen. [...] MakeCode allows four players to be on different devices, but they still see the same screen." jamespburke.com/blog/post-mo...

jamespburke.com

:monkey: Escort Mission Game :guardsman:

I teach a game creation class at the high school, and one of the platforms we use is Microsoft MakeCode Arcade. I’ve written about it before. Students have really enjoyed this platform, especially thi...

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Chandra Orrill @chandrao.bsky.social · 31/05/2025

This thread analyzes NSF’s budget request. Heartbreaking and appalling.

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 10/05/2025

Why Computer Science Matters Now jamespburke.com/blog/post-wh... As the school year winds down, I reflect on why I believe this work matters more than ever. It’s vital for our students to become problem-solvers, creators, and innovators — not in the future but right in our classrooms every day.

jamespburke.com

Why Computer Science Matters Now

Teaching the Future: Why Computer Science Matters Now In my classrooms, in my school, in my town, and beyond, challenges have been pressing in from every direction. Yet amid the difficulties, there h...

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 26/04/2025

Movie you’ve watched more than six times using gifs. (“Hard mode” no Star Wars, Star Trek, or LOTR)

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Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett @crockett.house.gov · 18/04/2025

The Dallas ICE office is involved in a mass removal effort targeting nearly 200 people — many without removal orders — scheduled to be deported to El Salvador today. This is not just cruel – it is lawless. I refuse to stay quiet while families are being torn apart, and lives are being put at risk.

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 18/04/2025

Reposting this because I know there are Micro:bit wizards out there who have had to deal with this. The hot glue thing is messy. What do you do with your microbits and students? #microbit #edusky

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Elizabeth Warren @warren.senate.gov · 17/04/2025

I won’t share RFK Jr.’s lies about autism. It’s disgusting and dangerous. If he had a shred of decency, he would apologize and resign. Autistic people contribute every day to our nation’s greatness. To every kid with autism, I’m in this fight all the way for you.

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 17/04/2025

One weakness of Micro:bits I keep encountering is in the power packs. Just the weight of the batteries in normal use can pull the wires out of either end, interrupting my students' work. I am using hot glue to try to solve the problem. Do you have a good solution?

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 15/04/2025

This article is long on listing "how we got here" but it did eventually get to a point considering practices that build a sense of community and shared purpose. What are your good links for classroom culture-building? theeducatorsroom.com/whos-in-char...

theeducatorsroom.com

Who’s in charge here? The erosion of authority in schools - The Educators Room

The erosion of = authority in society has profoundly impacted classroom dynamics, leaving teachers struggling to manage student behavior.

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 09/04/2025

I found this piece very insightful about teacher preparation for computer science education. Especially the part about a focus on understanding *why* the fundamental concepts are important. I believe it's important pedagogical content knowledge.

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 09/04/2025

I found out today that Alison Krauss & Union Station have a new album, and it features a song about the city where I was born: Fall River, MA. Who could imagine a song like this could be relevant again as Florida considers a return to child labor? www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nUx...

youtube.com

Alison Krauss & Union Station - Granite Mills (Official Lyric Video)

YouTube video by Alison Krauss

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 02/04/2025

Please consider supporting STEAM education by donating to the Kaput Center during UMassD Gives tomorrow. Our STEM4Girls day serves hundreds of middle school girls every year, sparking their innate curiosity and creativity. corsairchallenge.umassd.edu/campaigns/ka...

corsairchallenge.umassd.edu

Kaput Center for Research & Innovation in STEM Education - UMassD Gives

The Kaput Center is an interdisciplinary research space dedicated to addressing fundamental problems in STEM education through various activities and initiatives. These include conferences, interdisci...

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 02/04/2025

Call for curriculum. I'm planning an engineering class for next year and I LOVE this activity. If you know of any with similar values and value for students, please let me know about them. tryengineering.org/tryengineeri...

tryengineering.org

Not an Egg Drop Challenge

Not an Egg Drop Challenge is an interdisciplinary project between Physics and Environmental Sustainability (ES). This activity allowed students to combine their knowledge of water footprint, carbon em...

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 31/03/2025

I baked this weekend without a recipe, instead using the recipe in my head and aiming for a specific hydration target, and it worked out nicely. So I wrote out what I did. jamespburke.com/blog/sourdou... #breadsky

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 22/03/2025

Micro:bit peeps, is there a vendor you use for equipment for building with Micro:bits (like servos and such)? One that is used to taking P.O.s from a school district? #microbits #csforall

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 19/02/2025

"AI gives you answers, but the knowledge you gain is shallow. With StackOverflow, you had to read multiple expert discussions to get the full picture. It was slower, but you came out understanding not just what worked, but why it worked." nmn.gl/blog/ai-and-...

nmn.gl

New Junior Developers Can’t Actually Code

Something’s been bugging me about how new devs and I need to talk about it. We’re at this weird inflection point in software development. Every junior dev I talk to has Copilot or Claude or GPT runnin...

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 18/02/2025

Measles: "Complications include blindness, brain swelling/damage, pneumonia or other breathing problems, severe diarrhea leading to dehydration, and infections. 30% of children infected with measles develop a complication. There is no specific treatment for it." open.substack.com/pub/emilysmi...

open.substack.com

Neighbor Tuesday: Measles in my hometown, flu everywhere, and RFK Jr.

And what you can do to protect yourself, including vaccination clinic locations in Lea County, New Mexico and West Texas.

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 17/02/2025

Living where it rarely snows is a vibe. Living where the snow is impressive is another vibe. A third vibe: living where you're glad it's rain, not snow, you don't know what you'll be scraping off your car/driveway in the morning, and you hope your roof doesn't collapse or gutters back up.

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 15/02/2025

Snow in the forecast. New England fish chowder on the menu.

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 04/02/2025

A project I'm considering for some of my beginning programmer students may well require some complex code for micro:bits. I'm considering writing my own extension or extensions. This video was really informative. youtu.be/ztrm4XehfGo?...

youtu.be

MakeCode for micro:bit - GitHub for Extensions

YouTube video by Microsoft MakeCode

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 01/02/2025

Folks who make instructional videos and host them on YouTube: I get why you cut the video so that your talking begins *immediately*, but could you please stop doing that?

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 23/01/2025

I have had to disconnect the doorbell striker. It was getting to be too much.

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 23/01/2025

A while back I was trying to figure out what was a good setting to consistently cook jammy eggs in an instant pot. I settled on 7 or 6 minutes (pictures below) under LOW pressure. This is how I like eggs as a high protein snack.

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Dustin Tigner (Lvl1Baker) @lvl1baker.com · 22/01/2025

Decided to try mixing sourdough with a mixer. The result? Even with a short and gentle stir, the crumb was much fuller and denser. Could be good for sandwiches, but I think I prefer my hand mixed sourdough bread instead. Maybe there's a middle ground? #breadsky

Sourdough starter next to a KitchenAid mixing bowl.

KitchenAid mixer stirring the ingredients on the lowest setting for about two minutes.

The dough was thoroughly mixed, which made it much easier and cleaner to do stretch and folds.

A much fuller crumb than my hand-mixed sourdoughs. I initially liked this, but while eating it, it felt too much. I prefer my bread to be more elastic and open. I might need to experiment more with mixing techniques.

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Uniongrl ☮️ 🌍🎵🌻🦋 @uniongrl.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

📣 My friend died by suicide because of the hateful bigotry towards the transgender community. My friend would drop anything to help anyone. An Executive Order does not change who YOU are. 🏳️‍⚧️

REPOST this is Trans people are welcome and safe with you.

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fourlittlebees @cyndy.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

Happy Leopard Face Eating Day to all who celebrate!

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 18/01/2025

If you were a fan of Channel Zero and David Lynch, maybe check out Jane Schoenbrun's intriguing "I Saw the TV Glow." I suspect you might appreciate it. It's on Max at the moment. youtu.be/kymDzCgPwj0?...

youtu.be

I Saw The TV Glow | Official Trailer HD | A24

YouTube video by A24

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Michael sisto @sistosterone.bsky.social · 18/01/2025

I got an A on my origami assignment when I turned my paper into my teacher.

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Brandy Zadrozny @brandyzadrozny.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Michelle Obama right now www.nbcnews.com/politics/don...

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 13/01/2025

I didn't believe in ghosts. But. 1/9

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 12/01/2025

After listening to the NPR story about scientists studying ancient ice, I'm pretty sure I heard them use the theme music from "The Thing" as their exit music.

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 09/01/2025

Sourdough bread with compound butter: rosemary, sage, and maple syrup. It really rounded out this oven roasted beef dinner. #breadsky

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 02/01/2025

If you like to go on long walks and think, what is your workflow for capturing those thoughts so that you can sift through them later for writing and projects? 1/2

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Michael LeRoux @rouleau36.bsky.social · 01/01/2025

I just realized who Tom Brady reminds me of these days.

Tom Brady's debut as an NFL color commentator for FOX Sports.

The cover of Devo's 1978 debut album "Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!"

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 01/01/2025

We got there. Tonkotsu ramen with chashu and some gyoza on the side.

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 31/12/2024

First try for my daughter and me making gyoza.

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 31/12/2024

The tonkotsu paitan stayed emulsified overnight in the fridge! Ready to be turned into bowls of ramen soon.

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 31/12/2024

Would you just look at this silky tonkotsu paitan? I'm not claiming to be any sort of ramen expert, but I can't wait to get this on some homemade noodles, tare, aroma oil, and throw on some toppings.

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James P. Burke @jamespburke.com · 29/12/2024

What cat do you find most frightening in a video game and why is it the ghost cat from Animal Well?

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