Why the trial by ordeal was actually an effective test of guilt
How could an ordeal-administering priest make boiling water innocuous to an innocent defendant’s flesh? By making sure that it wasn’t actually boiling.
Candy Land Was Invented for Polio Wards
It is a game absent strategy, requiring little thought. Consequently, many parents hate Candy Land as much as their young kids enjoy it. Yet, for all its simplicity and limitations, children still love Candy Land, and adults still buy it. What makes it so appealing? The answer may have something to do with the game’s history:…
Because Internet: the new linguistics of informal English
I’m planning to begin my online Shakespeare class with commentary on how it’s a good thing that language changes, so that students will (I hope) see the effort they will need to put into understanding English from 400 years ago as part of the process of engaging with a living language, the same process that…
Innovative journalism: A game about the rising sea, a podcast about fire, a 20-year Columbine massacre memorial
How do you tell a story that people know, or maybe just think they know? Each of the newsrooms featured here this week took on that question in different ways. In Los Angeles, the LA Times made a game to go with project on sea level rise. The Chico (California) Enterprise-Record made a podcast to…
Testing out my new greenscreen
Friendly advice… If you are practicing with your new green screen backdrop, don’t wear a plaid shirt with blue-green in it. I’m not happy with the lighting… the foreground lighting is pretty good (some spare photography lamps — much better than the fluorescent ceiling lights) but I don’t like the shadows on the backdrop. I…
The Neutral Zone (ST:TNG Rewatch: Season 1, Episode 25)
Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation after a 20-year break. Unfrozen humans from the 21st Century annoy the crew while the Enterprise investigates the destruction of several Federation outposts near the Romulan Neutral Zone. The episode begins and ends with the cryonics story, so technically it’s the A plot, but there’s little at stake. Nobody…
The Dish (2000 Australian comedy)
I try to watch this every July to commemorate the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. Based on a true story, The Dish focuses on the staff of the Australian radio antenna charged with relaying the TV signals from the Apollo 11 moonwalk. The story was exaggerated here and there for dramatic effect, but does…
That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.
Similar:They called it a "flashlight" because early handheld lights weren't designed to shine stea…A student’s short story featuring a trea…Culture100 Word ChallengeIt is a weekly creative writing challeng…CultureHe dedicated years of his life to QAnon. One day made him question it all.Thoughtful analysis structured around on…CultureCaroll "Big Bird" Spinney was originally to be on NASA's doomed…
Watched “Apollo 11” at local library with my son today
50 years ago today, three humans were on their way to the moon for the first time. Todd Douglas Miller’s documentary “Apollo 11” uses lots of found footage (including longer cuts of iconic sequences I know well, and plenty I’ve never seen before) arranged on split-screen multi-angle shots, woven together with low-key graphics and the…
In July 1999, I was blogging about Dante’s ashes, Apollo 11, gender-neutral language, and e-books.
In July, 1999, I was blogging about: (July 19) Florence, Italy — Librarians stumble across a bag of Dante’s ashes, lying on a shelf. [more | Digital Dante (U.Va)] (July 20) “That’s one small step for [a] man“…one grammatical goof for mankind? [RealAudio] [transcript] Did Neil Armstrong flub the first sentence spoken on the soil of the moon?…
So Why Do People Shrug? Researchers Say ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
While contemplating what sort of body language I could give to a robot character I’m designing in Blender 3D, I started wondering about the shrug. I remember reading that kissing seems to have developed from the behavior of giving young offspring pre-chewed food, and sticking your tongue out at someone echoes what babies do when they don’t like what’s in their mouth. Raising your hand in greeting shows you aren’t carrying a weapon. But what’s a shrug?
Viral App FaceApp Now Owns Access To More Than 150 Million People’s Faces And Names
Viral app FaceApp has been giving people the power to change their facial expressions, looks, and now age for several years. But at the same time, people have been giving FaceApp the power to use their pictures — and names — for any purpose it wishes, for as long as it desires. To make FaceApp…
Resources for combating sexual harassment in the newsroom — Society of Professional Journalists
The Society of Professional Journalists has compiled the following resources in light of the increasing sexual misconduct allegations against high-profile male journalists. These are for journalists everywhere, but especially for those being harassed, those whose employers don’t provide employee training or those colleagues who know harassment is taking place but aren’t sure what to do…
Watching a National Guard helicopter lift off after an EMS display
Just spending an August evening with the boy. Similar:If I don't design the control panels for my fantasy #steampunk project, who will? #blender…AestheticsIt's been a Dwarf Fortress afternoon. AwesomeDaughter Carolyn plays Cherry in Prime Stage's production of The Outsiders (Mar 6-15)My daughter Carolyn plays Cherry in Prim…BooksYour second attempt at modeling #medievalyork fortifications in #blender3d…
Google Favors Good Reporting, Not Liberal Views: Study
It’s a logical fallacy to suggest that where two sides disagree, the truth must lie in the center. It doesn’t matter how many people believe in Bigfoot or essential oils or the city of Boston — popular opinion won’t make something factually true. (Though of course, well-meaning people can disagree over values, such as whether…
Marching in a parade and watching a patriotic musical
Happy Independence Day, fellow Americans. “Saltpeter, John!!!” Similar:Introduction to The Skin of Our Teeth (optimistic, absurdist metatheater; Thornton Wilder,…https://youtu.be/1okt8MIVTtsAcademiaAs part of an ongoing feud over the rights to use a particular shade of ultra-black paint,…As part of an ongoing bid to get his han…AestheticsMore bits of my summer project – another delightful span of a…
The Declaration of Independence (Dramatic Reading)
I rather enjoyed recording this oral interpretation of the Declaration of Independence for WAOB Audio Theatre. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzVQeAUIdHM&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR22qfKVNroqFkRrs3fgvWwpHMpEFZvdaNB_-tskGCm-IltxB3ByKKnpu8s Similar:Twitter changes strategy in battle against internet 'trolls'Reducing the reach of abusive tweets is …Business'We're back': Bushy Run's 2023 battle reenactment will be heldI’m glad to know that this recent contro…CultureNo, you’re not going crazy – package sizes…
The president of the US bonds with Vladimir Putin over journalists: “Get rid of them.”Â
The president of the US bonds with Vladimir Putin over journalists: “Get rid of them.” This is not normal. This is not right. Donald Trump joked with Vladimir Putin about getting rid of journalists and Russian meddling in US elections when the two leaders met at the G20 summit in Japan. As they sat for…
Solitaire Chess
Spent a relaxing evening in playing solitaire chess puzzles with the boy. Similar:After some long-delayed recabling, these are the bits I culled from my work setup.PersonalThat’s water under the bridge! Crowds of NPCs charge across, sweeping the player along. G…That’s water under the bridge! Crowds of…AestheticsSnow White: The Musical Opens Fridayhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiIRCoHoN…AestheticsDesiderata (Nerdy Inspiration)This is a…
Beauty and the Beast (St. Vincent Summer Theatre)
The girl (blue skirt and pigtails), who just finished her junior year of homeschooling last week, is in the dance ensemble for this professional production of “Beauty and the Beast,” which opens tonight (in a sold-out show) at the St. Vincent Summer Theatre. I spent a few summers doing PR for the Heritage Repertory Theater…