Mad Libs

First, the language. I was contemplating today why an event is called a function. I was wondering about the etymology of it. I don’t have anything handy to check on it, and my rather desultory attempts online have not helped. But it’s a curious idea, isn’t it? To function is to behave in a certain fashion, with the assumption that function is correct, and malfunction is faulty. So how does one get from there to function as in, I shall attend the function. I do get the synecdoche of functionary, where a person is reduced to their use-value or a representative part of such (think hired hand). Anyhow, was pondering that today.

I also got an iPad today. Well, it isn’t mine. It belongs to the campus. I do get to use it indefinitely, however. I’m just now trying to get it set up. It’s got very basic programs on it right now. Which is to say, I’m going to have to get iPages for it, or some such. But I have to investigate what sorts of writing programs and etc. will work for it. I also know that could get a keyboard to attach, but don’t know if it’s worth it. It’s heavier than I thought. I don’t think it would make me a good reader. I’m supposed to use it for educational purposes in the classroom, but I’ll be honest, I have no idea how. Nor does my department. We got these things without any plan of how to make them teaching tools. So I’m going to have to explore that.

Does anyone out there have an iPad? Do you have any thoughts on ways to use it for a purpose (which is to say, for more than mail/facebook/twitter/games. I can figure those out. It’s got 32gigs and and doesn’t seem to be retina display. I would be surprised if it was.

Originally published at www.dianapfrancis.com. You can comment here or there.