The Lord and the Ring

“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:Watching Shakespeare With Your KidsMy retired parents and bachelor engineer…CultureMore Evidence…

Reading Anxiety

“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:Joe Biden gives the media…

The End of Free

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:Subtle Stylesheet Tweaks for Mobile SiteOn the mobile version of my WordPress we…AestheticsStudents are trusting software like this to do their work.  The technology will continue t…CultureThe Anatomy…

Wow, Check out that Motorcycle Revving!

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:Things may be awful, but at least an invasive species of spider the size of a child's hand…AmusingElementary, Dear Data (TNG Rewatch: Season 2, Episode 3) When a holodeck…

Wikipedia

is an open-source encyclopedia. If it doesn’t have an entry for something, you can write it yourself! —Wikipedia Similar:Unearthing a Long Ignored African Writing System, One Researcher Finds African History, by…Not only is this a fantastic story about…Academia"You work for the @CollegeBoard?" the bright-eyed teen behind the fast food counter asks. …”Unsweetened tea. And can…

"A Visit from St. Nicholas"

‘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:“If music be the food of love, play on!” I may have mentioned that I have a daughter who d…    CultureCollege Professors Hate Sharing…

Sept. 11 Widows with Newborns

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:What if the DC rioters had been Black? I think we know the answer | Aja Hannah This…

Weird Science

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:The Hubble spotted this smiley face in spaceReading each other’s facial expressions …AestheticsDigital Humanities: A DefinitionDoes the world need another working defi…AcademiaFacebook Should…

What Kind of Murderer has Moral Fibre?

“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:Stage Right Water SpriteLast week my daughter and I were a littl…AestheticsIt's Science! Carolyn Uses Anastasia's Lip Balm KitMy friend Anastasia gave…

The Geek Syndrome

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:50 Years Ago: The World in 1961 – Alan Taylor – In Focus – The AtlanticA fantastic series of photos exploring t…AestheticsInfrared photo confirms Munch wrote "madman" inscription first…

IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!

“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:Space Shuttle Challenger (Destroyed 28 Years Ago Today)I was in my final semester of high…

Ring: One for the Book

“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:Pen Pals (ST:TNG Rewatch, Season 2, Episode 15) Data Hears a WhoRewatching Star Trek: The Next Generatio…EmpathyTrue Q…

DayPop.com

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:WARNING: Picasso, Van Gogh, Gauguin have been stolen in UKOne of several paintings that were, acco…ArtApple’s new diverse emoji…

Museum of Hoaxes

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:Hospice/Honeymoon “Hospice.” Once the word is uttered a…CultureIT CAN'T HAPPEN HERE — Berkeley Rep audio productionSinclair Lewis’s 1935 anti-fascist…

Imagine Silicon Valley Buried Like Pompeii

(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:On Death and iPods: A RequiemI never owned a classic iPod, though I d…CultureFacebook shrinks fake news after warnings backfireIn its…

All Seven Deadly Sins Committed at Church Bake Sale

“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:Texas lawyer trapped by cat filter on Zoom call, informs judge he is not…

Trauma Culture

“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:Both Sides in JournalismCulture The Expensive Education of Mark Zuckerberg and Silicon Valley Because what he never managed to grok …BusinessThese Fake Local News Sites Have Confused…