The Edmonton Expo (2018 edition)

And that's a wrap for the Edmonton Expo 2018! For me, it was 2.5 days, 36,795 steps, 25.74 km (according to my Fitbit), and all things geeky.

Things were a bit different this year. First, the Expo was smaller--fewer halls, and fewer exhibitors. (That's probably because the Expo is now owned by Fan Expo HQ, the company behind Fan Expo Canada, among others.) There were also some notable cancellations: Jason (Aquaman) Momoa, Karl (Judge Dredd, Star Trek) Urban, Katee (Battlestar Galactica) Sackhoff, and Katie (Arrow) Cassidy. Cancellations always happen, but these were some pretty big names.

On the bright side, I got to see two of my all-time favourite voice actors, Maurice LaMarche and Kevin Conroy. Conroy is, of course, the definitive voice of Batman, going back to Batman: The Animated Series in the 1990s. If you don't know the name LaMarche, you are nonetheless familiar with his work if you've ever watched Animaniacs, The Simpsons, Futurama, or Disenchantment.

The panels with Ray Park, Brent Spiner, and John Barrowman were also highly entertaining. Barrowman's dress, in particular, was stunning. (Sorry, you hadda be there...) I also learned that moderator Tanner Zipchen is originally from Saskatoon and does not go around giving out Scene points. One of the most fascinating panels for me was hearing how junior high school teacher Scott Hebert has completely transformed his classroom into a medieval realm using the principles of gamification--something I've been interested in for a while. His talk was titled, "Press start to begin: How turning a class into a live action game changed everything." (And no, that doesn't tell you everything you need to know.)

In previous years, I unleashed my wallet, buying goodies like autographs, toys, and original art. I tried to rein it in a bit this year, buying some Steven Universe-themed items (pins, art, etc.) for my two sweet daughters who did not attend with me. (Don't tell them, but I held some items back as stocking stuffers!)

As usual, I got the Premium Package which includes a bit of swag: comic book, poster, lanyard, and TARDIS lunch box. You could also go around to vendors, getting stamps in a passport. When completed, you took your passport and got to spin the big wheel to win a prize. The result? An Expo sweatshirt (size medium). Check it out:

Would you like to have this swag package? Of course you would. Like last year, I will give this prize package to the person who pledges to give the most items to the UAlberta Campus Food Bank. Make your pledge in the comments below. The contest closes on Monday, October 1 at 12:00p.m. MDT (that's noon). Whoever has pledged the most number of items wins. (You have to show me a picture of you actually donating the items to the food bank upon pickup.) Even if you do not win, I would encourage you to still donate your pledged items to the food bank.

Why aren't you studying?

What I Did on my Summer Vacation (2018 Edition)

Instead of trying to come up with a theme for my summer vacation post, this year I went back through my photos and social media posts to try and sum up my summer. Here goes!

PHD Comics: Summer https://t.co/8k2pKGKaTA via @phdcomics

— Karsten Loepelmann (@kloepelm) June 13, 2018

It is so true, summer is a time to try and work uninterrupted (by teaching at least). I was home with my kids a lot of the time, so there still were interruptions. (I swear, those kids want to eat lunch like EVERY DAY.)

Instead of adding material to my courses, I spent my time scrutinizing my lecture notes overall, and my PowerPower slides in particular. I have increased the legibility, readability, and flow of my lectures, in addition to rewriting material for clarity and understanding. I have converted all physical media to digital files in anticipation of changes to the classroom computers by IST. That also meant spenting several hours with IST staff trying to fix problems, both old and new, with their systems. Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of confidence that everything will be running properly by the time the term starts. (Be prepared for your instructors fumbling and cursing a lot!)

Summer isn't all about work, though. There's time for a family trip. After visiting BC last year, we just stuck to Alberta for a short trip--Aspen Beach, Calgary, and Drumheller. After skipping the Calgary Zoo for a few years, we had to go back to see the pandas. My youngest daughter was so excited...and then so disappointed. The pandas just slept. The most action-packed moment was when one of them scratched its ear. Wow. To make up for the disappointment, we bought her an ice cream cone. Then a fly landed in it and everything went to hell. Yeah, good times.

Don't see how they can do kung fu.

The Royal Tyrrell Museum is always worth a visit.

Hoodoo? I dunno.

Who wants to see pictures of Aspen Beach when I could

show you the delicious cannoli at Sweet Capone's in Lacombe?

Ugh, I thought the smoke was bad last year.  The BC forest fires brought clouds of smoke again this summer, especially in August. When it's an otherwise nice summer day with wretched air quality, at least I don't feel bad about being at my computer and working all day.

#nofilter, we swear. It's that smokey today here in #yeg. With all this smoke, the air quality index is "very high" at 9. For more on our EAS live weather cameras, check the link in our bio #yegsmoke #uofa #weathercamera #panaromaview pic.twitter.com/Nbq7MKFI6q

— UofA EAS Department (@UofA_EAS) August 15, 2018

While my wife wasn't looking, I slipped a jalapeño plant in among her annuals when she was buying bedding plants this spring. (Ain't I a stinker?) I didn't have great hopes, but it exceeded all expectations, growing about a dozen peppers. I think I'll pickle them.

Right at the end of August, the Department of Psychology held its annual Welcome Celebration. It's to welcome new graduate students, post-docs, and faculty members, and celebrate our accomplishments over the past year. Although I claim to go just for the food, it's really to hear the speeches. And lookit the nifty two TUTAs (Tolman Undergraduate Teaching Awards) I got!

Now, it's back to school for everyone. This year is just a bit more specialer, though. It's my 25th year of teaching. To those of you who have been taking my classes for 25 years--er, isn't it time to graduate already?

Back to school. pic.twitter.com/wQzYV2b0vh

— You Had One Job (@_youhadonejob1) September 3, 2018

Why aren't you studying?

The Reading List (Spring, 2018)

This time, the readings I'm recommending all tie into my recently concluded PSYCO 258: Cognitive Psychology course. It's remarkable that there are so many really good popular books about psychology--if you're into that kind of thing. And if you're following my blog, well, either you're a stalker or you're into that kind of thing...

	Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman Waitaminnit--I recommended this book before, didn't I? Yup, in my post The Reading Week Reading List (Fall, 2015). But it's so good, I'm recommending it again. The title refers to the unconscious (fast) and deliberate, conscious (slow) modes of cognition. It also gives the first-person backstory to Prospect Theory, which is a unique thing. This theory was the start of behavioural economics, an approach that continues to shake up the fields of economics and psychology. Kahneman neatly summarizes his work with Amos Tversky, and also his more recent research into subjective life satisfaction. This is not a stuffy, boring read; it applies to everyone.
	The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds by Michael Lewis You may know Lewis as the author of Moneyball. Here he presents a double-biography of Danny Kahneman and his longtime collaborator, Amos Tversky. Lewis tells a great story, providing important context to the lives of his subjects, which really helps give you a sense of who they really are: the constant self-doubt of Kahneman, and Tversky's devastating intelligence. Beyond the biographies, Lewis also follows the chronology of Prospect Theory, doing a great job of explaining it scientific publication to scientific publication. The final line is classic: "Then the phone rang."
	Misbehaving: The Story Of Behavioral Economics by Richard H. Thaler This third book on behavioural economics is by far the most technical. You may not enjoy this book if you're put off by terms like "diminishing marginal utility," "bounded rationality," and "economics." Thaler, a recent Nobel prize winner, recounts his relationship with Kahneman & Tversky, as well as his contributions to behavioural economics. There are quite a few graphs, and it can be hard to follow if you have no background in economics. Recommended for only the most hardcore fans of behavioural economics, or econ majors. Psychology majors should just skip to the section on nudge theory.
	Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool Every wonder how an expert got so good at what they do? An athlete, dancer, musician, or chess player? They make it seem so easy--like they were born to do it. But what really underlies their amazing abilities is something Ericsson calls deliberate practice. Along the way, he also debunks misconceptions about the "10,000 hour rule" and the "10-year rule" Sorry, but it takes more than just time to get really, really good at something. Ericsson gives evidence-based advice on how to turn yourself into an expert at just about anything. (Even, say, psychology.)
	Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth Duckworth's research has shown that grit--a personality trait for persevering on a task--is a more important contributor to grades than IQ. However, the concept of grit is controversial. Some argue that it may be no different from some other personality traits. Also, you may have "grit" for, say, playing tennis, but not for studying. Shouldn't it apply to everything you do equally instead of being situation-specific? In Peak, Ericsson criticizes the concept for being circular: if you don't stick to a task because you don't have grit, which is why you don't stick to the task. However, reading this book seems to have increased my motivation for persisting on tasks; your mileage may vary.

Why aren't you studying?