Dean Baird

HS Physics Teacher (ret) • Author @ TPT (The Lessons of Phyz) • and @ Pearson •

[Dean Baird @phyzman]

Today is my last day as Rio Americano's physics teacher. A road of 35 years comes to a close.

I have teased much of this, but I saved the best for last. It's not to be missed.

Going gentle into that good retirement? Not really my brand.

https://t.co/oohNiYn8Bj [4:45]

[Dean Baird @phyzman]

@UPS @UPS failed on this order, and revealed that failure is baked into the culture of the corporation.

A 3-day package in transit arrived Denver Friday and didn’t depart Denver until Tuesday to be delivered Wednesday, Day 4.

UPS is satisfied with this performance.

[Dean Baird @phyzman]

My days of singing the praises of @UPS (over @FedEx) may be coming to a middle. FedEx has a prohibitive lead in the Delivery Disappointments Department, but UPS is fighting to contend.

A 3rd-Day package (shipped 8/7) was last scanned 8/9 at 5:05am. Into the æther it has gone.

[Dean Baird @phyzman]

@UPS The good people of @Lensrentals paid UPS for 3rd day delivery on 8/7. UPS got the package from Memphis to Denver on 8/8.

The package languished in Denver from 8/8 until 8/12. Resting on a shelf, collecting dust.

Maybe UPS workers negotiated 3-day weekends into their contracts.

[Dean Baird @phyzman]

As I enter into Hour Three of @UPS “customer service” hold, I’m beginning to question my business choices.

[Dean Baird @phyzman]

Called customer service, and now *I’m* in the æther. 1:30 into an estimated 25-minute wait.

[Dean Baird @phyzman]

Overseas customer service promised a call back from the local hub. You already know how that went: into the æther.

[Dean Baird @phyzman]

@lyft The good people of Reddit assure me Lyft is on the hook for a $100 credit for a failed airport ride.

Lyft has offered me $50.

Either would only come in handy for those times when I’d *like* a ride but don’t really *need* a ride.

Not really the most useful service.

[Dean Baird @phyzman]

If @lyft is still on your phone, I strongly recommend deleting it ASAP.

I scheduled a Lyft three days in advance and a driver accepted the job. When the appointed time came, it seems DANIEL “wasn’t feeling it” so Lyft left me stranded. Deletion ✅.

Maybe @AskLyft can explain.

[Dean Baird @phyzman]

The genius of @DollarCars is that canceling a reservation on their website returns a “Something went wrong, try again later” message. So you call their toll-free number, only to be met with a “this line is not accepting calls” announcement.

Well played, @DollarCars.

[Dean Baird @phyzman]

Bluesky, a social media alternative to X, sees huge growth after Trump's election win

https://t.co/E5dm0A4guC

[Dean Baird @phyzman]

https://t.co/11gMqHa2G3

[Dean Baird @phyzman]

BlueSky seems to be emerging as the preferred refuge from X.

Bluesky crosses the 15 million user mark - The Verge https://t.co/FlbZpG8pPT

[Dean Baird @phyzman]

A Ken Burns deep dive into the life of Benjamin Franklin. His study of electricity is detailed here. Franklin was a thoroughgoing Anglophile until, while in London, the Brits cast him as the mastermind of the Boston Tea Party.

Join or Die (1706-1774)
https://t.co/NP72giVqSb

[Dean Baird @phyzman]

A Question of Balance [PhET] by The Lessons of Phyz

https://t.co/CABFG09xoY

[Dean Baird @phyzman]

This is a nice sim that scales from straightforward to “wait a minute!”. I wrote an activity for it. Link in the comments.

[PhET Sims @PhETsims]

It's game time with Balancing Act! Students can solve puzzles while balancing
...Add an object to balance the plank, predict the direction when the supports are removed, or determine the mass of an unknown object. Try it out.
#Torque #proportionalReasoning
https://t.co/tgu6QlCa7W

[Dean Baird @phyzman]

When NOVA's Decoding the Universe: Cosmos aired in May, I wondered if there were other "Decodings" in the works. It seems there were. At least one, anyway. Quantum. And I have questions.

Decoding the Universe - 2. Quantum [PBS NOVA] https://t.co/Tc5YUw5ayR

[Dean Baird @phyzman]

Teacher friends and colleagues, if you find yourself in need of a break tomorrow, I have answers.

The Lessons of Phyz https://t.co/A8UvvfYK4k

[Dean Baird @phyzman]

Okay, #ITeachPhysics colleagues, the weekly challenge (following the on air puzzle) is for us.

Sunday Puzzle: Guess these words from these sounds

https://t.co/bBiige2Pn7

[Dean Baird @phyzman]

Here's the episode on YouTube:
https://t.co/EmsMjvn1rl

[Dean Baird @phyzman]

In time for tonight's episode of NOVA, covering Phobos, Ceres, Triton, Charon, and the Oort Cloud: The wandering worlds of the solar system.

Solar System - 5. Wandering Worlds [PBS NOVA] https://t.co/a1LipCwP0l