The Nerd-ification of America

“My how times have changed! These days you hear nerd talk spewing out of everyone’s mouth! … Is it computer technology that’s made nerds of us all? Or perhaps it’s because we really do work for those former “losers” now.” Peter Bagge —The Nerd-ification of AmericaReason) I feel the same way about Star Trek, which…

Helping Gillmor: Making the News

I’m a little behind in blogging Elwyn Jenkins’ response to Dan Gillmor’s Making the News. Here’s what Elwyn says: “Writing, that you see here in this [Elwyn’s] weblog, is not journalism. This is more about pedagogy than it is about journalism. This is about organizing information — some bloggers do that by simply amassing a…

Low-End Media for User Empowerment

“Fancy media on websites typically fails user testing. Simple text and clear photos not only communicate better with users, they also enhance users’ feeling of control and thus support the Web’s mission as an instant gratification environment.” Jakob Nielsen —Low-End Media for User EmpowermentAlertBox) There’s nothing stunning in this post, but it’s presented in the…

Grammar Valued More in College than High School

“The writing skills college instructors most want from incoming freshmen–proper grammar and usage–are considered least important by high school English teachers….Among six writing skills, grammar and usage were taught the least by more than 700 high school English teachers surveyed during a national curriculum survey ACT conducts every three years.” Rosalind Rossi —Grammar Valued More…

The Institute for Interactive Journalism

“The Institute for Interactive Journalism helps news organizations use innovative computer technologies to develop new ways for people to engage in critical public policy issues.” —The Institute for Interactive JournalismJ-Lab) Fascinating approach to journalism as telling, showing, and doing. The site features a “balance-the-budget” game and information about awards for innovative journalism. This site isn’t…

Shuttle Doomed at Takeoff

“Investigators now have the strongest evidence yet that the space shuttle Columbia’s left wing was critically punctured during liftoff, when falling debris started the fatal chain of events that led to the breakup of the shuttle when it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere…” —Shuttle Doomed at TakeoffABC News)

Ethics of Paper’s Fake Arson Story Debated

“King County prosecutors and sheriff’s detectives asked the editors at the Eastside Journal, now called the King County Journal, to run a fake story about a staged arson to make Sherer believe an accomplice had carried out his plans. The newspaper complied.” —Ethics of Paper’s Fake Arson Story Debated Seattle Times) Woah! When does the…

The Shape of Things to Come

“Although bell curve distribution is still considered normal, a surprising number of economic and social phenomena now seem to follow a different arc. Instead of being high in the center and low on the sides, this new distribution is low in the center and high on the sides. Call it the well curve.” Daniel H.…

Mass Suicide

“The arctic rodents called Lemmings are well known for their periodic mass suicides by collectively swimming into the sea and drowning, or at least the Norway lemmings do. This is probably caused by environmental pressures usually from over population…” —Mass SuicideHolology) Actually, the cause of this behavior is more likely to be Disney employees hurling…

Flashback: Have A Cow, G.I.!

“American troops in Saudi Arabia have been listening with amusement to Baghdad Betty, Iraq’s version of Tokyo Rose, who tries to demoralize them with her radio broadcasts. In one monologue, she warned them that their wives back home were sleeping with ‘famous movie stars,’ including Tom Cruise, Arnold Schwarzenegger and even Bart Simpson….” David Ellis…