“It began as a fireside story spun by a Catholic dad. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings became a great epic that has inspired conversions, steeled young people in virtue, and changed lives — including mine.” John Zmirak —The Lord and the Ring (catholic.net) Similar:Rare find discovered amid town's Old West kitschInstead of dispensing a…
“There’s only so much time. And there are so many great books. And every year more books are published, some of which will be great. Reluctantly, the reader begins to acknowledge the appalling necessity of choosing to read certain good things and not other good things.” —Reading Anxiety (Nat’l Post) Similar:The #Blender3D #eevee denoising filter…
Hundreds of websites that used to give their content away for free are now charging for their services. This weblog chronicles the changes. —The End of Free Similar:Grading writing: The art and science — and why computers can’t do itTech companies and university administra…AcademiaResearchers: Nearly Half Of Accounts Tweeting About Coronavirus Are Likely BotsResearchers identified…
Yelling out of cars, turning your speakers out the window to blast your music onto the street, setting off M-80 firecrackers, firing automatic weapons into the air—these are all well and good. But none of them create a merry atmosphere of insouciance and bonhomie quite like a revving motorcycle. —Wow, Check out that Motorcycle Revving! (The…
You have not truly lived, until you have seen Star Wars rendered as ASCII animation. The FAQ page includes the answer to “Why (oh, God why)?” Similar:Delightfully geeky news story about a legal kerfuffle over typefacesI’m very amused at this nerdy news story…AestheticsSlow flyby of a scout shop. Starfield backdrop; particle-based engine exhaust; hull uses…
is an open-source encyclopedia. If it doesn’t have an entry for something, you can write it yourself! —Wikipedia Similar:America’s Real Digital Divide If you think middle-class children are…CultureGreat moments from Pride and PrejudiceI haven’t read Pride and Prejudice in ab…BooksAnd Now for This Breaking News Report “Police have cornered the suspect wh…AmusingThe History of Typography…
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house / Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse… [More or Livingston? Authorship uncertain.] —“A Visit from St. Nicholas” Similar:Melissa Terras' Blog: Male, Mad and Muddleheaded: Academics in Children's Picture BooksLabcoats, suits (but not if you are fema…AcademiaLet's talk about books, old sport.BooksSchisms (#StarTrek…
Very sad: “Sixteen mothers, all of whom were pregnant on Sept. 11 and lost their husbands in the terrorist attacks, and their babies are photographed with news anchor Diane Sawyer.” —Sept. 11 Widows with NewbornsAP via Yahoo!) Similar:Source: Wenner Declined Resignation from Rolling Stone Deputy EditorAccording to a source inside Rolling Sto…Current_EventsHow Bad Design Wrecked…
Programming bugs have bedeviled many a scientific researcher. Now, some researchers in Japan have programmed a bug. Thanks to a surgically-implanted device, scientists can control the motion of “Robo-roach.” —Weird Science (Guardian) Similar:My daughter found where all the missing pens and pencils end upAmusingDid you share Russian fake news? Facebook, apparently unable to insert items…
“An experiment to uncover the world’s funniest jokes has found that some computer-generated gags can be more amusing than those thought up by humans.” —What Kind of Murderer has Moral Fibre? (New Scientist) Similar:On the Virtues of a Dadsplained Literary ChildhoodThe last book I read to her was Wutherin…Books2001: A Space Odyssey – Discerning Themes…
Children born to high-tech nerds appear more likely to show signs of a behavioral disorder similar to autism. Silicon Valley cases are booming. —The Geek Syndrome (Wired) Similar:NASA: No, The Eclipse Won't Blind Pets I once heard a fellow grad student s…Current_EventsAnne Of Green Gables Blond On Book CoverEr.. no. This is not Anne of…
“We are confident that you will have many years of trouble-free enjoyment if you carefully read these instructions and follow them.” (Note: Anybody who bothers to read instructions at all is probably already grouchy and impatient.) —IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ CAREFULLY! Similar:Out for a walk during some downtime. Paused to appreciate this beautiful city of #Pittsbur…AestheticsWhy…
“Does Jackson’s effort remain reasonably true to Tolkien’s richly imagined universe? And will filmgoers not inculcated with the lore of Middle Earth enjoy it anyway? The answers, happily, are ‘probably’ and ‘definitely.’” —Ring: One for the BookWired) Similar:R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) Full Play (via Zoom)All 3 acts and the epilogue to R.U.R. (R…BooksBeautiful News Writing:…
Search an index of 6000 frequently-updated weblogs, news summaries, and opinion pages; or, see a list of the top 40 pages cited by the ‘bloggers who create Internet buzz. My new second-favorite website (after google). —DayPop.com Similar:Today I didn't save the world, but I did help a student while power-walking at the mall.I’m far from…
Over a century before Orson Welles’s “War of the Worlds” hoax, the New York Sun‘s moon hoax claimed that an astronomer discovered life on the moon. The website also describes many other hoaxes —Museum of Hoaxes Similar:Inequity and BYODIf we are really wanting to help these k…CultureCoined by Shakespeare? Think againFor years, Shakespeare has been…
(book review) : “…the activity stilled, the cars, houses and workplaces buried beneath layers of volcanic ash, the artefacts of a single moment preserved. What could we learn…?” —Imagine Silicon Valley Buried Like Pompeii Similar:Sam Shepard Giggles, Doesn't GoogleI wrote my undergraduate honors thesis o…CybercultureThe 19th Annual Interactive Fiction Competition Welcome to IFComp 2013, the…
“Much web design has suffered from an over reliance on graphic design principles. Too many graphic designers have tried to force the Web to be what it is not…” —Information Architecture vs. Graphic Design (New Thinking) Similar:What Does Children’s “Obsession” With Technology Tell Us About What They Really Need?Wise thoughts. When we look at children…CybercultureThe…
“My cookies, cakes, and brownies are always the highlight of our church bake sales, and everyone says so,” said parishioner Connie Barrett, 49, openly committing the sin of pride. —All Seven Deadly Sins Committed at Church Bake SaleSatire from The Onion) Similar:Emily Dickinson’s Singular Scrap PoetryThere’s never enough time to cover Emily…CultureAmazing McDonald's "Maestro Burger"…
“From Oklahoma City to New York, we’ve turned violent human loss into epic narratives of suffering and patriotism. Does this help people heal or hurt them?” —Trauma Culture (Salon) Similar:How Not to Hate Shakespeare The problem isn’t Shakespeare—it’s h…CultureObamacare's broken website cost more than LinkedIn, Spotify combinedMuch of the criticism of Healthcare.gov …CultureCOVID-19 Becoming Less…
An informal 1998 survey by John Rhodes yielded the following advice: create your content first, then design your website; keep your design simple; use proper grammar. —How to Gain the Trust of Your UsersWebWord) Similar:I accidentally started a Wikipedia hoaxHoaxes roam the Information Superhighway…BooksOh, No. YouTube is Deleting Videos.Oh no. First YouTube institutes a “COVI…Current_EventsFacebook’s…