An extremely thin alibi for four murders

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bryan Kohlberger has been charged with the November 13, 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students in Moscow. An article by Katherine Donlevy at the New York Post on April 18, 2024 is titled Bryan Kohlberger’s lawyers offer new alibi for accused murderer’s whereabouts on night of killings. They claimed cell phone data will show he was elsewhere. But that assumes his cell phone was in the car while he was out driving alone – which may not be true.

 

Another article by Jenna Sundel at Newsweek on May 1, 2024 titled Bryan Kohlberger: 6 Key Updates in the Case added that the prosecution said it also was not an alibi because the Defendant's cell phone stopped reporting to the cellular network before the homicides and continued not reporting until after the homicides.

   

That alibi claim reminded me of some lyrics from a 2022 Drive-By Truckers song, The Driver:

 

“…Used to go out driving, sometimes late into the night
Trying to make sense of the pieces of my life
Still young enough to not know how the puzzle fit together
Nothing to fall back on but a knife”

 

An image of a cellphone came from Mad Flash Digital at Wikimedia Commons.

 

 

PhD students can give Three Minute Thesis speeches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a specialized brief presentation format for graduate students in Doctor of Philosophy programs called the Three Minute Thesis (3MT). It started in 2008 at the University of Queensland, spread to over 200 universities, and even has a Wikipedia page. The competitor guide allows for just one static PowerPoint slide rather than the twenty in longer Ignite or Pecha Kucha formats. Here in Idaho there are web pages from both Boise State University and the University of Idaho.

 

At the MIT News on April 30, 2024 there is an article by Amanda Cornwall titled Science communication competition brings research into the real world about their version called the MIT Research Slam.

 

Back on January 10, 2020 I blogged about How old are brief (3 to 7 minute) speech formats?

 

The cartoon was assembled from a DIY clock face and number three at Openclipart.

 

A fake George Orwell quote - about telling the truth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two posts at the Gem State Patriot News blog on April 21, 2024 both begin with the following alleged quote:

 

“In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.” George Orwell

 

One by the blog publisher Bob “Nugie” Neugebauer is titled It’s Our Anniversary – Fourteen Years and Counting. Another post by Brent Regan is titled Shut Up!

 

But George Orwell (the pen name for Eric Arthur Blair) never ever said that. It is listed at number one in an article by John Rentoul at The Independent on September 16, 2022 titled The Top Ten fake George Orwell quotations. A second article including it by Benedict Cooper at i on March 31, 2022 is titled These fake George Orwell quotes are everywhere online, my mission to fix them is deeply ironic. And a third article by Garson O’Toole at Quote Investigator on February 24, 2013 titled In a Time of Universal Deceit – Telling the Truth Is a Revolutionary Act provides a detailed discussion.

 

On January 21, 2024 I blogged about Ten quotes to motivate speaking in public – five of which are incorrect. I said that for a well-researched and real quotation we can definitively describe Who said it, What he said, When he said it, and Where he said it.

 

Using a fake quote makes you look like a damn fool. Do enough research to avoid it.

 

 

Four Fresh Approaches for Providing Effective Evaluation Rather Than a Sandwich

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One common method for providing feedback (evaluations) is the “sandwich method.” For example, a brief article at the bottom of page 13 in the July 2023 issue of Toastmaster magazine titled Expert Advice for Evaluations says:  

 

“Many Toastmasters use the ‘sandwich method,’ which layers the evaluation into three parts: what the speaker did well, suggestions on areas for improvement, and an upbeat conclusion that encourages the speaker to continue growing in their chosen path.”

 

An article by Melinda McGuire in Faculty Focus on April 24, 2024 titled Is the Sandwich Method Getting Stale? Fresh Approaches to Providing Effective Student Feedback discusses four other approaches:

 

SBI Model: Situation, Behavior and Impact

COIN Model: Context, Observation, Impact, Next Steps

GROW Model: Goal, Reality. Options, Way Forward

CEDAR Model: Context, Example, Diagnosis, Actions, Review

 

An image of a peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich came from Evan-Amos at Wikimedia Commons.

 

Three quotations about public speaking from Dwight Garner’s 2020 book Garner’s Quotations: A Modern Miscellany

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On March 24, 2024 I blogged about Have you ever eaten a peanut butter and pickle sandwich? I referred to New York Times book critic Dwight Garner’s 2023 book The Upstairs Delicatessen, which is subtitled On Eating, Reading, Reading About Eating, and Eating While Reading. His interesting previous 2020 book is Garner’s Quotations: A Modern Miscellany. That book unfortunately lacks a subject index. But I skimmed it and found three quotes about public speaking.

 

On page 91 George W. Bush described Donald Trump’s 2017 inauguration speech:

 

“That was some weird shit.”

 

On page 101 Clive James described George W. Bush:

 

“[He] should not be delivering a State of the Union address. He should be delivering pizza.”

 

Also on page 101, Christopher Hitchens said:

 

“If you can give a decent speech in public or cut any kind of figure on the podium, then you never need dine or sleep alone.”

 

The open book image came from Openclipart.

 

 

Zipper merge is an excellent metaphor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday I learned a phrase which is an excellent metaphor – zipper merge. It is courteous adult behavior described in a thirty-second YouTube video from the Utah Department of Transportation, which says:

 

“When two congested lanes on a Utah roadway become one, we use the zipper merge. Vehicles should use both lanes right up until the merge point, then take turns converging into the open lane – just like a zipper. Drivers in the closing lane must use their turn signal before moving over safely. Drivers in the open lane must let one vehicle move over in front of them. This helps reduce congestion by as much as 40 percent. And it’s the law.”

 

Another similar video from the Idaho Transportation Department titled How to Zipper Merge says:  

 

“You see a ‘lane-closed sign up ahead and the lanes are merging. So when should you actually merge? Well, the answer might surprise you: You should stay in your lane up to the point of merge. It’s called a zipper merge and it’s not only safe but encouraged. Each car takes turns easing into the open lane. This keeps things smooth and fair for drivers in the continuing lane and the lane that’s ending. So next time you see a lane-closed sign, don’t stress. Just merge when it’s your turn.”

 

There is a section titled The Zipper Merge – Research and Applications in Chapter 2 of the November 2017 U.S. Department of Transportation publication titled Recurring Traffic Bottlenecks: A Primer - Focus on Low-Cost Operational Improvements (Fourth Edition). It also is discussed in a web page at trafficwaves titled Merging-lane traffic jams, a simple cure. And another web page at Academic Dictionaries titled Zipper merge says Kevin Lerch claimed to have coined the term in the late 1960’s. I ran across it in a not-safe-for-work YouTube video titled Lewis Black reads a rant about Rhode Island bridges.

 

The zipper image was adapted from one at Openclipart.

 

Membership in Toastmasters International is not free, but at $10 per month is an excellent value

 

 

 

 

 

At rollingout on April 14, 2024 there is an article by Mr. Digital Fingers titled 4 clubs or groups to join free to improve your public speaking.

 

He lists the following four:

 

1] Toastmasters International

2] Meetup Public Speaking Groups

3] Online Public Speaking Communities

4] Local Libraries and Community Centers

 

But he is wrong about that first item. Toastmasters International is not free, although it is an excellent value. Their web page on How to Join says that there is a cost of $60 for semi-annual international dues, plus a $20 new member fee. That continuing $60, or just $10 per month is inexpensive. (There also may be additional club dues. At the Pioneer Club I belong to in Boise they are another $6 semi-annually, or $1 per month.)

 

Back on July 15, 2010 I blogged about how Public speaking training is a journey; You get to choose how to go.

 

An image of dollar bills was cropped from one at Openclipart.