Liberal Arts Classes Could Teach Neil deGrasse Tyson a Thing or Two about the Path from Data to Wisdom

Your mileage may vary, but I immediately thought of Galadriel in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, who states this problem in negative terms. Yes, she’s a made-up character delivering a line in a movie about an imaginary ring from a fantasy book, but anyone who really understands Tolkien’s story will have reflected on the…

‘These are all fake news,’ said the honor student. He was wrong.

Kim Ash teaches the Newseum’s “Fighting Fake News” class. Whereas teachers once feared that teenagers would fall for everything they read online, now they’re concerned young people won’t believe anything they read. —Washington Post Similar:Stunning writing in this WaPost reflection on the Trump campaign's journey from a gold esc…I’m stunned by the writing. Here’s just…

Paper too short? Here are actual tips for serious students, not dumb tricks your prof will notice.

Is your academic essay a bit short? First, make sure that you have formatted your draft as required (usually professors ask you to double-space). Faking a longer paper won’t make your writing any more persuasive or intelligent or analytical or factual. It won’t help you to learn what your instructor wants you to learn. My…

You cannot serve both…

Similar:The amazing daughter is featured in the ads for this commercial dance event. The amazing daughter is featured in th…PersonalThe girl rehearsing as Babette in Stage Right's Beauty and the BeastCarolyn rehearses with Nick Lenz. Her sh…Current_EventsMasked, vaxxed, and settling in to watch live theaterBarebones is a little black box theater,…BooksDrinking milk and using the…

The girl has gotten progressively more dedicated over the past few days.

When you’re a homeschool parent, you go with what works. Yes, Carolyn, you may have my plaid bed sheet. Finish reading this book on Scottish history and I’ll take more pictures. No, you may not wear your kilt to church. Similar:Top: flat, monochrome rectangles. Middle: rectangles with a flat bitmapped texture of butt…AestheticsRehearsal Rabbi-CamThis weekend,…

The girl continues her exploration of Scottish history.

Carolyn: “Does no one have a kind word for my Scotland?” Similar:Standardized Test Scores Don't Really Measure LearningThere are ways to raise a child’s test s…AcademiaThe captain will shortly address the officers and crew. Please have the custodial bots pol…AestheticsFULL BLOOM (Aug 31-Sep 2)PersonalShrek: The Musical (Nov 22-24; Stage Right! Greensburg)Come see me as the…

The elements, in haiku

Each element of the periodic table gets its own haiku. What a clever project — traditional haiku frequently celebrate nature. An interactive review of the periodic table — composed of 119 haiku The elements, in haiku Similar:Utility Tactical Waist Pack Pouch Military Camping Hiking Outdoor Hand Waist Bag: Sports &…Really. These things aren’t at all…

The Girl’s Obsession with Scottish History Continues

Wife: “What did you do with your bedsheet?” Me: “Is that my missing belt?” Girl: “Kilt-y as charged.” Similar:I just dusted off a #textadventure project I started in Inform6 around 1999.I just dusted off a #textadventure proje…CybercultureMy "Writing About Literature" Students Are Sampling Text Adventure GamesI’m having my students play Adam Cadre’s…CultureMagnetic Scrolls Original Games…

Teaching Snapshot: First Amendment Freedoms

Similar:Facebook Removes Human Curators From Trending ModuleToday, Facebook announced that human cur…BusinessDisruptive Decorations: Kids learned better in a sparesly-decorated CMU labKids learned better in a sparse lab sett…AestheticsI'm no longer surprised, but still want to document.This is really noteworthy. Today the Pre…Current_EventsNYC sent non-police teams to respond to mental health calls for a month. Data…

Anti-globalism Is Common Factor in Social Media Conspiracy Theories, says UW Prof

Fascinating academic effort to find a pattern in apparently random conspiracy theories that regularly pop up in our infostreams during social crises. Experts usually dismiss them because they are so wild and unlikely, and have thus failed to notice their impact. Starbird’s insight was to map the digital connections between all this buzzing on Twitter…

Apparently, I needed to watch a supercut of doors and corridors from Star Trek.

I did in fact search YouTube for videos featuring corridors on the starship Enterprise. And I found this bizarrely satisfying video, featuring not just corridors, but also doors. (Whoosh! Whoosh!) I remember this — our first look at Captain Kirk in the 1979 “Star Trek the Motion Picture.” Similar:Collegewide game encourages small interactions around campusI…

The girl around the house casually dressed “as a Jacobite.”

Similar:Your first test layout of medieval city streets will be your worst. #blender3d #medievalyo…Your first test layout of medieval city …DesignWhat It Was Like to Watch the Beatles Become the BeatlesBeyond their music itself, their greates…CultureProfessoring. With an(other) apple pie cupcake.I touched up and board-ified a presentat…AcademiaTop deck of a #neovictorian #steampunk cruiser needs an…

Classroom Vignette: MLA Style

Student (shouldering backpack and heading for door): Why does MLA Style have to keep changing? Me (checks clock): Well… Similar:This weekend… Would YOU trade a Hank Aaron rookie card for Roberto Clemente… for her? …PersonalUpdating a villain's lair in #Blender3D. Still a work in progress.AestheticsSteampunk officer uniforms — test #Blender3D #Unity3Dhttps://youtu.be/SDh4TW8ujNg The vide…AestheticsWhen you hear…

First Evidence That Social Bots Play a Major Role in Spreading Fake News

Shad and co say bots play a particularly significant role in the spread of fake news soon after it is published. What’s more, these bots are programmed to direct their tweets at influential users. “Automated accounts are particularly active in the early spreading phases of viral claims, and tend to target influential users,” say Shao…