Wal-Mart Opens Store in Winesburg, Ohio

.  Painfully funny small-town satire from The Onion. —Wal-Mart Opens Store in Winesburg, Ohio Similar:Microsoft Publishes Garbled AI Article Calling Tragically Deceased NBA Player "Useless"The Big Boy GraveyardA Simple Investigation #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 5, Episode 17) Odo falls for a femme…This 1960s teenager knew the neighborhood that inspired August Wilson’s playsA.I. Is Getting More…

What Good is Literature?

“If anything, the recent expansion of literacy and educational opportunities has increased our access to literature and our enjoyment of it.” J. Peder Zane —What Good is Literature? Similar:The Missing Will, by Agatha Christie (WAOB Audio Theatre)This 1960s teenager knew the neighborhood that inspired August Wilson’s playsHad a great time with AmLit students at the…

There's More to Life…

“Today, I’m one of the world’s leading anthropologists, an accomplished archaeologist, and an award-winning novelist. And, at 41, I’m only now becoming aware of the globetrotting rut I’ve been in my entire life. Looking back on everything I’ve seen and done, I can’t help but ask, ‘Is that all there is?’” more satire from The…

Bad Design Can Be Costly

Microsoft Word requires at least 30% more keystrokes and 100% more mouse moves to accomplish certain editing tasks than would an optimal word processor. Forbes —Bad Design Can Be Costly Similar:Microsoft Publishes Garbled AI Article Calling Tragically Deceased NBA Player "Useless"Stop sharing those unsourced memes about "be woke" and "God doesn't need soldiers" — here…Pope…

The Gist Generation

“We are the Gist Generation. We have acquired a taste for hit-and-run, cut-and-paste knowledge. We expect a home page or e-mail correspondence to give us the gist and only the gist—time is money and you’re a click away from an iconographic trash can, so get to the point.” Jeff Barbian Similar:The Missing Will, by Agatha…

"Majestic" Invades Your World

This computer game tries something new. “If a character tells you he’ll call you tomorrow, he’s not kidding. You’ll have to wait a day to get his information. Faxes may arrive without warning, and instant messages may pop up onscreen when you least expect them — maybe even while you’re at work.” Wired.com —“Majestic” Invades…

The Catholic martyrs of the Twentieth Century

“Organized religion was a primary target of every one of the twentieth century’s regimes of terror. But as is evident in Nazi and Communist terrors alike, organized irreligion (to put it in Royal’s sharp formulation) has proved far more dangerous than organized religion ever was.” Alicia Mosier Similar:The Missing Will, by Agatha Christie (WAOB Audio…

You might assume there could not be a worse time for a field calling itself “Internet studies.” You would be wrong.

You might assume there could not be a worse time for a field calling itself “Internet studies.” You would be wrong. The Chronicle of Higher Education Similar:'Most Transparent’ White House In History Keeps Majority Of Trump’s Remarks SecretMicrosoft Publishes Garbled AI Article Calling Tragically Deceased NBA Player "Useless"Stop sharing those unsourced memes about "be woke"…

Don't forward that e-mail just yet!

“Lambert received the e-mail in December, a piece of scrap in the vast electronic junkyard that is the World Wide Web. Regrettably, she says now, she removed the letter’s forwarding markers and unintentionally put her name at the bottom, making it appear that she was the author.” Washington Post —Don’t forward that e-mail just yet!…

Telling the Truth About Damned Lies and Statistics

“[W]hat could be more scholarly than a nice, authoritative statistic, quoted from a professional journal in the student’s field?” The Chronicle of Higher Education —Telling the Truth About Damned Lies and Statistics Similar:Microsoft Publishes Garbled AI Article Calling Tragically Deceased NBA Player "Useless"Stop sharing those unsourced memes about "be woke" and "God doesn't need soldiers"…

You Know You're a Technical Writer When…

Danielle Preston —You Know You’re a Technical Writer When… Similar:Microsoft Publishes Garbled AI Article Calling Tragically Deceased NBA Player "Useless"The Big Boy GraveyardStop sharing those unsourced memes about "be woke" and "God doesn't need soldiers" — here…A Simple Investigation #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 5, Episode 17) Odo falls for a femme…Pope Leo XIV names AI…

Just For the Record

A student of mine makes comments on interactive fiction, garish colors, and dancing text. Jan Carroll —Just For the Record Similar:'Most Transparent’ White House In History Keeps Majority Of Trump’s Remarks SecretMicrosoft Publishes Garbled AI Article Calling Tragically Deceased NBA Player "Useless"Stop sharing those unsourced memes about "be woke" and "God doesn't need soldiers" –…

Jakob Nielsen

learns something from my freshman comp students. On March 13, 2000, I e-mailed web guru Jakob Nielsen to tell him that six of my freshmen spent 8-30 minutes on his site without finding a plain-text “search” link on the home page. A week or so later, I noticed that Nielsen changed his page, making the…

For Writers, Writing Is Never a Waste of Time: Part 2

“[W]hen it comes to writing, whether you’re a seventh grader, a college student, a professor, a beginning copywriter, or an accomplished novelist, a B isn’t good enough.”  Kathy Henning —For Writers, Writing Is Never a Waste of Time: Part 2 Similar:Microsoft Publishes Garbled AI Article Calling Tragically Deceased NBA Player "Useless"Stop sharing those unsourced memes…

A Society Without Literature

“[A] society without literature, or a society in which literature has been relegated–like some hidden vice–to the margins of social and personal life, and transformed into something like a sectarian cult, is a society condemned to become spiritually barbaric, and even to jeopardize its freedom.” Mario Vargas Llosa Similar:The Missing Will, by Agatha Christie (WAOB…

The creator of Cliffs Notes has died.

The creator of Cliffs Notes has died. Here’s his obituary — although I know you probably won’t bother to read the whole thing. Similar:'Most Transparent’ White House In History Keeps Majority Of Trump’s Remarks SecretMicrosoft Publishes Garbled AI Article Calling Tragically Deceased NBA Player "Useless"Stop sharing those unsourced memes about "be woke" and "God doesn't…

Some Features You May Need on Your Computer

On the tasteless side, but still very funny: “Some Features You May Need on Your Computer“ Similar:Microsoft Publishes Garbled AI Article Calling Tragically Deceased NBA Player "Useless"The Big Boy GraveyardStop sharing those unsourced memes about "be woke" and "God doesn't need soldiers" — here…A Simple Investigation #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 5, Episode 17) Odo falls…

Business and the English Language

“It is our duty, as responsible citizens, to stop the rot. Next time someone touches base with you or moves your goal posts, punch them in the face.” Clint Witchalls —Business and the English Language Similar:The Missing Will, by Agatha Christie (WAOB Audio Theatre)Microsoft Publishes Garbled AI Article Calling Tragically Deceased NBA Player "Useless"The Big…