Quite a simple idea really. A voluntary subscription by halfbakers to fund an international academic scholarship. In order to qualify for the award, the student must undertake to study at least one subject from each of a set of diverse categories which reflect the values of the halfbakery. What these categories and values might be, I’m not quite sure but the point of the scholarship would be to encourage study of an utterly diverse and apparently incompatible set of topics (e.g. chemistry with philosophy and business management or mathematics with media studies and archaeology) just for the fun of learning about them. In addition, the student would also have to undertake evening classes in cookery and learn how to bake a nice loaf of bread. The award would go to the applicant who put together the best argument for why they should get the money and they would be funded to attend a college/university in any country that they fancied, as long as they could arrange it with the college in question.-- DrBob, Apr 07 2010 http://www.ohiocollegeclowningarts.com/ [rcarty, Apr 07 2010] Meta uni... Half_20Bachelors_20degree [normzone, Apr 07 2010] Electricity free matrioschka fridge. http://boingboing.n...or-of-noelectr.html [2 fries shy of a happy meal, Apr 11 2010] Open University: Courses http://www3.open.ac...atoz/allcourses.htmOptional modules include "chemistry with philosophy and business management or mathematics with media studies and archaeology" - take courses totalling 300+ points at the appropraiate levels, and you can earn yourself a BA/BSc [zen_tom, Aug 05 2010] The Awesome Foundation http://awesometo.wo...-something-awesome/Actually, really rather awesome. [DrBob, Jan 23 2011] // set of diverse categories which reflect the values of the halfbakery //
We will mentor the module on "Unnecessary, dangerous and inappropriate use of pyrotechnics and explosives".
Who wants to do the flower arranging ?-- 8th of 7, Apr 07 2010 Are the students expected to bake existing half-baked inventions, or are they to produce half-baked ideas and post them?-- Cuit_au_Four, Apr 07 2010 I see masters-level research theses galore...-- RayfordSteele, Apr 07 2010 I'm sure I can rally a 'baker or two for the crash course in Bluetooth/wireless transmission...-- Jinbish, Apr 07 2010 Beware, [Jinbish], the phrase "crash course" is never something to be bandied about lightly in an HB context ..-- 8th of 7, Apr 07 2010 Very true - but then, you've never been on the receiving end of one of my lectures.-- Jinbish, Apr 07 2010 Indeed not, but thy reputation goeth before thee ...-- 8th of 7, Apr 07 2010 + I'll do the flower arranging, but it's required to be naked...-- xandram, Apr 07 2010 [8th], maybe we could do a double module - remote detonation of extraordinary ordnance?
(The cookery school could be done to a very high level; I'm envisioning Michelin Star quality Crème Angliase)-- Jinbish, Apr 07 2010 // In addition, the student would also have to undertake evening classes in cookery and learn how to bake a nice loaf of bread.// The student should be given a large salmon and a knife, then instructed on how to remove the bones as well.-- jaksplat, Apr 07 2010 They must first undertake an aptitude test involving: a camel hump; the orbit of Neptune; the sound of a hedge rustling; the smell of a goat turd; a paperclip; and a rusty sofa spring.
All of these are easily connected by even the most average of participants here.-- xenzag, Apr 07 2010 Queue here for Small Unit Tactics, Improvised Explosives and The Philosophy of Nietzsche.
[8th], will you be teaching "Another 100 Ways to Skin a Cat" again this semester?-- MikeD, Apr 07 2010 //They must first undertake...//... oy what are you doing in my shed ?-- FlyingToaster, Apr 07 2010 All of those things are on the aptitude test.-- rcarty, Apr 07 2010 Custard and pussies for me!-- DenholmRicshaw, Apr 07 2010 // 100 Ways to Skin a Cat //
Maybe. For some odd reason, cats seem in rather short supply in this area lately. If sufficient stocks can be obtained, then yes, the HB513 course will be run, unless there's a scheduling clash with either HB268 ("Build your own Bathysphere for fun and profit plus Early Byzantine church music) or HB441("The influence of Post-Impressionist Art on Hitler's Strategy during Operation Blau" plus "A neo-deconstructive approach to deep fried cabbage")-- 8th of 7, Apr 07 2010 There are lots of logistical problems here, but it's a good idea. I would be prepared to contribute something (a fixed amount, for a fixed but renewable period).-- MaxwellBuchanan, Apr 07 2010 //I'll do the flower arranging, but it's required to be naked// I can see how that would be popular, but my flowers look better with the petals on.-- pertinax, Apr 07 2010 Nice idea, but I suspect that when push comes to shove, the vast majority of halfbakers are painfully cheap. Just a hunch.-- afinehowdoyoudo, Apr 08 2010 Obligatory WIFRT: isn't the term Halfbakery Scholarship an oxymoron?
<Sorry, couldn't resist. I'll go quietly now...>-- Canuck, Apr 08 2010 Just doing some research on this, I find that tuition fees in the UK are about £5k a year, plus we'd need to allow for rent of around £500/month for a single bedroom flat (it goes up to about £800/month where I am but is considerably lower than £500 in other areas of the country), so we are already in for £11k per year before other living expenses. Let's call it £20k per year, all in. So that's the subscription figure we would need or we could try and build up an investment pot (of at least £1million I reckon) to make this a sustainable fund. I'm willing to put in £100 a year. Any other takers?Oh, and to answer Cuit_au_Four's question, no. They will not be expected to do anything other than go and learn about stuff.-- DrBob, Apr 08 2010 //painfully cheap//
That's "keenly priced", if you don't mind!-- pertinax, Apr 08 2010 Btw, "Meta-Data Engineering for Comparative Philologists 101" at bargain basement rates. Get it as if it were hot.-- pertinax, Apr 08 2010 //The award would go to the applicant who put together the best argument for why they should get the money//
Says who!? Er... I mean, by what methods would the scholarship be awarded? Is it open to anyone?-- Jinbish, Apr 08 2010 Painfully cheap, yes. I suppose there's always Opencourseware.
I can offer up Small Housing Space Utilization, the Art of Resume Disguising, Alternate Uses for Orthodontic Rubber Bands, and Lego Power Transfer Techniques.-- RayfordSteele, Apr 08 2010 //If sufficient stocks can be obtained, then yes//
I only ask because I'm tidying up the shed, and I need to know if you'll be borrowing my orbital sander again.-- MikeD, Apr 08 2010 I can do Modular Origami (there is a lab fee) and Introduction to Magic Smoke.
(On a more serious note, I could chip in a few hundred US$ to a fund.)-- gisho, Apr 08 2010 // orbital sander // essential for connecting the tricky bits of nanomachines.
In all seriousness, I would happily contribute to an HB scholarship fund for a third-worlder to attend high school. In terms of humanitarian return for dollars spent it's far more //keenly priced// than funding attendance at a Western university.-- BunsenHoneydew, Apr 10 2010 That's not a bad idea. What's it doing here?-- pertinax, Apr 10 2010 //That's not a bad idea. What's it doing here?//
Marked for tagline-- MaxwellBuchanan, Apr 10 2010 Not a bad idea - Steve Jobs took a calligraphy and typography course in college which, at the time, appeared to have absolutely nothing to do with computer science.-- hippo, Apr 11 2010 How about a fund that rewards real-world third-world ingenuity. The scholarship could be judged like a science fair, with entries that are supposed to offer a low cost solution to an everyday problem, but are often somewhat whimsical or impractical (eg, seedling planter made from an old tyre). Simply participating in the invention fair would introduce kids to the idea of innovation to overcome problems. The winners would get to go to a decent school.-- marklar, Apr 11 2010 You'll like this [link] then.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Apr 11 2010 //by what methods would the scholarship be awarded? Is it open to anyone?// Both good questions (which I seem to have ignored for several months). To answer the second question first, yes. My initial thoughts on the first question was a free form, on-line application, the quality of which would be determined by the traditional fishbone:croissant method. However, this is probably prone to ballot-stuffing on a gigantic scale so then I thought that a hand-written application would probably be best. A random selection of bakers would be empowered as the jury and would draw up a shortlist of, say, a dozen, which would be published (a bit like the Booker Prize) and then they would go round the pub and have a good chinwag about the contenders and choose a winner (also like the Booker prize).-- DrBob, Aug 05 2010 <linky>-- DrBob, Jan 23 2011 // choose a winner //
But urely such a process would be subject to all sorts of unfair influences - bribery, the offering of sexual favours, lavish gifts ?
If not, why not ?-- 8th of 7, Jan 23 2011 If Woody Allen isn't available, do you think you could take on his classes in Advanced Loathing and Theory and Practice of Hatred ?
Speaking of which, do we have tutors for Defence Agianst the Dark Arts, and more importantly, Giving In To Your Hate and Turning to the Dark Side ?
Anyone with a basic ability to Find Your Lack Of Faith Disturbing should be able to teach that ....-- 8th of 7, Jan 24 2011 Will there also be a course in Advanced Self-Loathing?-- mouseposture, Jan 24 2011 random, halfbakery