The Learn Tracker
...life-long learning: structured, organized, searchable...

My name is Edward Tanguay.
I have a Bachelors degree in Philosophy, a Masters in Education, and am currently working as a web developer in Berlin, Germany.

I watch over 200 college-level MOOC lectures per year in subjects such as history , psychology, science, religion, art, philosophy, and IT development in English, German, French, Spanish and Italian, and record my notes here.
Hundreds of free, self-paced university courses available:
my recommendations here
Peruse my collection of 275
influential people of the past.
View My Class Notes via:
Receive My Class Notes via E-Mail:

VIEW ARCHIVE

Contact Me via E-Mail:
edward [at] tanguay.info

Learning Activity by Month:

The primary goal of this Learn Tracker project is to build a web site which serves as one place to record the notes of everything that I am learning from MOOC classes, to foreign languages, to useful code examples and technical how-to notes, so that I not only have an overview of what I have learned, but can search and recall these notes at any time.

The secondary goal of this Learn Tracker project is to work together with companies, universities, and MOOC providers to build software that allows employees, students, and learners to record what they are learning in an efficient way so that it serves not only as (1) a record of what they have learned, but also (2) a place for them to review and search what they have learned.

Since January 2013, I have watched and recorded notes on over 300 MOOC lectures from over 30 different courses in both English and French, and have watched and recorded notes and flashcards on over 50 foreign language videos in Italian, French and Spanish. (I am curently still adding notes I took from 2013 and plan to be caught up by the end of January 2014.

March 2014 Learn Certificate
Watched and took notes on 16 college lectures:
Watched and recorded flashcards on 5 language videos:
Learned 37 vocabulary words:
...loading...
Learned about 6 people:
...loading...
Corrected 6 misspelling:
archipelego, essense, collosal, ampitheater, turbulance, changable
Recorded 18 Flashcards from MOOC lectures:
  • what were the four Greek tribes
                        
  • who was the god of medicine and healing in ancient Greek religion
                        
  • I make observations
                        
  • So, what do you see here?
                        
  • and namely
                        
  • between the seventeenth and the eighteenth century
                        
  • here we are in the first lesson
                        
  • in fact, no one knows
                        
  • in this case, what happens?
                        
  • let me clarify what I mean
                        
  • of whom we'll talk about later
                        
  • some questions
                        
  • that would be nice, but it's not the case
                        
  • that's it
                        
  • well, what's the problem?
                        
  • what does this mean?
                        
  • what is there to say?
                        
  • why isn't it good?
                        
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Monday, March 3, 2014
Watched and took notes on MOOC lecture:
ROMAN ARCHITECTURE, Yale University
•
Augustus founded the Julio-Claudian dynasty
•
"Julio" for the Julian side, i.e. Julius Caesar and Augustus
•
Augustus was the son of Caesar's sister Julia and Caesar adopted him in his will
•
"Claudian" for the Claudian side, i.e. Augustus' wife's side of the family
•
four more emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty: Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero... view all notes
Watched and took notes on MOOC lecture:
PRACTICING TOLERANCE IN A RELIGIOUS SOCIETY, University of Maryland
•
tolerance and intolerance
•
we use these words to characterize individual people or whole societies
•
these are more or less black and white terms, they are polar
•
we rarely think of people as being "sort of tolerant"
•
not neutral terms... view all notes
Vocabulary:
loggia, n. [LAH-gee-ah] roofed open gallery. It differs from a veranda in being more architectural, and in forming more decidedly a part of the main edifice to which it is attached; from a porch, in being intended not for entrance but for an out-of-door sitting-room ⇒ "There were a series of rooms for the emperor himself, including an imperial loggia where he could walk out and get some attractive panoramas privately on his own."
triclinium, n. a couch facing three sides of a rectangular table, used by the ancient Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans for reclining at meals ⇒ "Immediately to the west of the triclinium was the main living room."
hydrofoil, n. a speedboat that is equipped with winglike structures that lift it so that it skims the water at high speeds ⇒ "To get to the island of Capri, you can take a hydrofoil from Naples."
funicular, n. a rail transit system which ascends a steep urban or mountain incline with the cars linked by a cable and an arrangement of pulleys such that the descending car assists in the hoisting of the ascending car, i.e. the two cars serve as counterweights for each other ⇒ "Cable cars are distinct from funiculars, where the cars are permanently attached to the cable, and cable railways, which are similar to funiculars, but where the rail vehicles are attached and detached manually."
cistern, n. a receptacle for holding water or other liquid, especially a tank for catching and storing rainwater ⇒ "Once in the city, the water was stored in three open reservoirs and over a hundred underground cisterns."
promontory, n. a high ridge of land or rock jutting out into a body of water; a headland ⇒ "There we see a mountain remaining as a promontory that marks the southwestern limit of the region."
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Watched and took notes on MOOC lecture:
LETTERS OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, Harvard University
•
1. local leaders nurture patron/client relations with Rome
•
mutual benefaction, gift exchange
•
time and space are marked in provinces in Rome
•
calendar changes in Asia
•
cult for the goddess Roma and honoring the imperial family... view all notes
Vocabulary:
lacuna (pl. lacunae), n. [la-KOON-igh] a gap in a manuscript, inscription, text, painting, or a musical work ⇒ "There are substantial lacunae in the surviving texts, including a gap in the Annals that is four books long."
apotheosis, n. deification, specifically under the Roman empire, the formal attribution of divine honors to a deceased emperor or other member of the imperial family ⇒ "A deceased emperor held worthy of the honor could be voted a state divinity by the Senate and elevated as such in an act of apotheosis."
benefaction, n. an act of doing good; a benefit, a blessing, a contribution of money or assistance ⇒ "They nurtured a patron-client relationship that was marked by mutual benefaction."
beneficent, adj. characterized by or performing acts of kindness or charity ⇒ "The Roman Empire was not entirely beneficent and kind to its provinces, of course."
People:
Tacitus (56-117 AD)
Senator and a historian of the Roman Empire
  • two major works: "Annals" and "Histories" examine the reigns of Tiberius, Claudius, Nero, and the Year of the Four Emperors
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Watched and took notes on MOOC lecture:
ROMAN ARCHITECTURE, Yale University
•
Caligula
•
emperor 12-41 AD
•
was young, reigned for only three years
•
he was unbalanced, became a despot
•
mostly occupied with odd projects (e.g. fighting faux wars) instead of architecture, but he made some contributions... view all notes
Vocabulary:
cavort, v. to have lively or boisterous fun; romp ⇒ "Caligula became a despot and spent most of his time cavorting with this three sisters, Agrippina, Julia, and Drusilla."
tufa, n. the calcareous deposit of lime found near hot springs ⇒ "Instead of mixing the concrete with stone rubble, they began to mix it with a porous yellow tufa and pumice."
pumice, n. [PUH-mis, not POO-mis] a light, porous, glassy lava, resembling cork, used in solid form as an abrasive and in powdered form as a polish and an abrasive ⇒ "Instead of mixing the concrete with stone rubble, they began to mix it with a porous yellow tufa and pumice."
calcareous, adj. [kal-KAIR-ee-us] resembling or containing calcium carbonate or limestone, chalky ⇒ "a calcareous deposit near a hot spring"
apse, n. in Romanesque and Byzantine cathedral and church architecture, a semi-circular or polygonal termination of the main building at the liturgical east end, where the altar is ⇒ "At the end, to give some emphasis to one short side of the space, an apse."
People:
Pythagoras (570-495 BC)
Greek mathematician, known for the Pythagorean theorem
  • philosopher and founder of the religious movement Pythagoreanism
  • first man to call himself a philosopher, or lover of wisdom
  • Pythagorean ideas exercised a marked influence on Plato
Friday, March 7, 2014
Watched and took notes on MOOC lecture:
ROMAN ARCHITECTURE, Yale University
•
64 AD: the great fire of Rome
•
after the fire, Nero expropriated 300 acres of downtown real estate to build his private Golden House
•
dug an artificial lake
•
only one part remains today on the Esquiline hill, which is why it is called the Esquiline wing
•
dozens of rooms around a five-sided courtyard... view all notes
Vocabulary:
expropriate, v. to transfer another's property to oneself, and thereby depriving them of possession of it ⇒ "After the smoke of the 64 AD fire of Rome died down, Nero expropriated 300 acres of prime downtown property for his own use, for a private palace, the so-called Golden House."
coffer, n. [KAH-fer] in architecture, a decorative sunken panel in a ceiling, dome, soffit, or vault ⇒ "When you ate in the dining room of Nero's Golden Palace, the coffered ceilings would drop fragrances and flower petals onto you as you dined."
soffit, n. the visible underside of an arch, balcony, beam, cornice, staircase, vault or any other architectural element ⇒ "The soffit of the axial archway is deeply coffered with a relief of the apotheosis of Titus at the center."
cornice, n. horizontal molded projection that crowns or completes a building or wall ⇒ "Domestic buildings are often surmounted by a cornice."
alcove, n. a recessed portion of a room, or a small room opening into a larger one, such as a lateral recess in a library ⇒ "Nero's Octogonal Room has a series of radiating alcoves, but much larger than the ones we saw in the frigidaria at Pompeii or in the thermal bath at Baia."
lateral, adj. of, at, toward, or from the side or sides ⇒ "a lateral recess in a library"
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Watched and took notes on MOOC lecture:
A BRIEF HISTORY OF HUMANKIND, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
•
credit and capitalism were not unique European inventions
•
early modern China, India and the Muslim world
•
some merchants and bankers thought along capitalist lines
•
however the kings and generals in the palaces and forts of Asia tended to despise merchants and their mercantile way of thinking
•
most non-European empires of the early modern era financed their wars and activities by taxing their subjects and plundering the enemy, they owed little to credit systems and cared little for the interests of bankers and investors... view all notes
Monday, March 10, 2014
Watched and took notes on MOOC lecture:
LA VISIONE DEL MONDO DELLA RELATIVITÀ E DELLA MECCANICA QUANTISTICA, Sapienz Università di Roma
•
all'inizio del 20° secolo, Lord Kelvin dichiarò che non c'è niente die nuovo da scoprire in fisica ora, tutto ciò che rimane è fare misure più precise
•
ma invece no, c'erano tantissime cosa e dall'analisi di queste cose nascono due nuove teorie
•
1. le teorie della relatività
•
create da una sola persona, Albert Einstein, in due anni precisi
•
1905 la Relatività speciale... view all notes
People:
James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879)
Elaborò la prima teoria moderna dell'elettromagnetismo
  • matematico e fisico scozzese
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Watched and took notes on MOOC lecture:
ROMAN ARCHITECTURE, Yale University
•
Pantheon
•
the word "pantheon" is derived from the Ancient Greek "pantheos" meaning "all gods"
•
118-128: built by Hadrian
•
actually it was rebuilt by Hadrian, originally another Pantheon had been built by Marcus Agrippa during Augustus' reign
•
the Pantheon one of the greatest architectural masterpieces of all time... view all notes
Vocabulary:
basalt, n. hard, dense, dark volcanic rock often having a glassy appearance ⇒ "At the base of dome in the Pantheon they mixed into the concrete a thick, heavy basalt, but as they moved toward the top, they mixed in a porous pumous which was much lighter."
cella, n. an inner room or sanctuary of an ancient Greek or Roman temple, in which the statue of the god was situated ⇒ "It was designed around a series of courtyards leading to a cella."
People:
Apollodorus (70-120 AD)
Greek architect in Rome, designed Trajan's Forum and Column
  • from Damascus, Roman Syria
  • favorite of Trajan
  • also engineer, designer and sculptor
  • on the accession of Hadrian, whom he had offended by ridiculing his performances as architect and artist, Apollodorus was banished and, shortly afterwards, being charged with imaginary crimes, put to death
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Watched and took notes on MOOC lecture:
LA VISIONE DEL MONDO DELLA RELATIVITÀ E DELLA MECCANICA QUANTISTICA, Sapienz Università di Roma
•
il problema della velocita della luce
•
come funzione un nastro trasportatore?
•
il nastro trasportatore si muove con una velocità di 2 metri al secondo rispetto al terreno
•
sul nastro trasportatore ce sono due persone:
•
1. una donna... view all notes
Vocabulary:
scoprire, v. trovare arrivare a conoscere ciò che prima era ignoto ⇒ "Quello che scoprono è che non vedono nessuna differenza"
spiegare, v. delucidare rendere comprensibile ⇒ "Ed ecco ho spiegato un pochino che cosa diceva la relatività, quella di Galileo."
Friday, March 14, 2014
Watched and took notes on MOOC lecture:
LETTERS OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, Harvard University
•
1 Corinthians
•
background
•
written in 52 or 54
•
written from Ephesos (modern day Turkey, across the Aegean Sea from Athens)
•
not his first letter to them... view all notes
Vocabulary:
pastiche, n. [pass-TEESH] an incongruous mixture; a hodgepodge, especially a work of art, drama, literature, music, or architecture that imitates the work of a previous artist, or a work that quotes other works ⇒ "Second Corinthians is probably a pastiche of letters written over time and edited together later."
cajole, v. [ka-JOHL] to persuade someone to do something which they are reluctant to do, often by flattery, to coax ⇒ "The letters of 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 are about poverty, about others giving money for the saints, about cajoling the Corinthians and others in the region to give money."
apologia, n. [ap-ah-LOH-gee-ah] a formal written defense of something you believe in strongly ⇒ "We find in 2 Corinthians an apologia where Paul says that he's actually up to being an apostle and gives the image of himself in a triumphal procession."
exordium, n. the introductory part of a discourse or written composition, which prepares the audience for the main subject; the opening part of an oration ⇒ "Verses 1:4-9 of 1 Corinthians is an exordium of thanksgiving."
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Watched and took notes on MOOC lecture:
ROMAN ARCHITECTURE, Yale University
•
the Colosseum
•
the most famous building constructed by Vespasian
•
construction began in 70 AD, two years after Nero died
•
Vespasian died in 79 so never saw it complete
•
80 AD: his son Titus completed it and dedicated it to Vespasian... view all notes
Vocabulary:
groin vault, n. a vault with unique angles formed by the intersection of two barrel vaults ⇒ "On the second floor of the Colosseum we see a new kind of vault never seen before this time, called the groin vault."
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Watched and took notes on MOOC lecture:
LA VISIONE DEL MONDO DELLA RELATIVITÀ E DELLA MECCANICA QUANTISTICA, Sapienz Università di Roma
•
Galileo
•
se ho dei sistemi che si muovono uno rispetto all'altro, con velocità costante, le leggi della fisica devono rimanere le stesse
•
se voi state su un treno e qualcosa lasciate cadere, non ve ne accorgete, che state su un treno in movimento
•
e cioè la legge con cui cade questo corpo è la stessa
•
Einstein era preoccupato con due problemi... view all notes
People:
Dmitri Mendeleev (1834-1907)
Chimico russo che inventore della tavola periodica degli elementi
  • 1850 ha lavorato a st. pietroburgo
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Watched and took notes on MOOC lecture:
ROMAN ARCHITECTURE, Yale University
•
Hadrian
•
born in 76 AD
•
emperor at age 41 after serving together with Trajan for a number of years
•
born in Spain, like Trajan
•
one of the most educated and most intellectual of the Roman emperors... view all notes
Vocabulary:
philhellene, n. [FIL-hel-layn] one who admires Greece or the Greeks ⇒ "Hadrian was also a great philhellene."
himation, n. a rectangular woolen or linen cloak worn by men and women in ancient Greece ⇒ "Although Hadrian wore a toga in public, he was known for wearing the Greek himation in private."
scallop, v. to edge with a series of curved projections ⇒ "The internal cella walls of the Temple to Venus and Roma were scalloped in this plan."
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Watched and took notes on MOOC lecture:
ROMAN ARCHITECTURE, Yale University
•
Arch of Titus
•
built in 82 AD by Domitian
•
commemorates Titus' victories including the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD
•
holes in the letters are where bronze letters were attached
•
shows parade when Titus returned from Jerusalem... view all notes
Vocabulary:
candelabrum, n. [can-del-LAB-brum] large decorative candlestick having several arms or branches ⇒ "You can see here the famous seven-branched candelabrum that the Roman soldiers carried back as a trophy of the war in Jerusalem."
rosette, n. any structure having a flower-like form ⇒ "Above the central bay of the arch you see on the interior of the vault coffers and rosettes in the center."
corroborate, v. strengthen or support with other evidence; make more certain ⇒ "That the upper part of the Arch of Titus also served as his tomb seems to be corroborated by the fact that inside the attic of the arch is a staircase as well as a chamber."
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Watched and took notes on MOOC lecture:
BUDDHISM AND MODERN PSYCHOLOGY , Princeton University
•
as with other religions, there are varieties of Buddhism
•
different varieties of Buddhism in Asia
•
Western Buddhism
•
people who weren't born Buddhist but who have chosen to adopt Buddhism
•
don't pay much attention to the supernatural parts of Buddhism... view all notes
Vocabulary:
equanimity, n. the quality of being calm and even-tempered ⇒ "Naturalistic Buddhism can give people a sense that their lives have meaning, consolation in times of sorrow, and equanimity as they encounter the turbulence of life."
People:
William James (1842-1910)
Father of American psychology
  • founder of functional psychology with Peirce and Dewey
  • influenced Husserl
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Watched and took notes on MOOC lecture:
A BRIEF HISTORY OF HUMANKIND, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
•
a common argument for capitalism is that governments should interfere as little as possible with the workings of the markets
•
reduce taxation to the minimum so as not to take money out of the market
•
the logic is that markets know far better than governments where to invest the money
•
this is called a belief in the free market
•
but it is extremely rare in history that the market was free of politics and intervention... view all notes
show all recorded days