My sister the computer programmer benefitted early in her career because she was an excellent writer. She was so good at taking notes that people would invite to her important meetings so there would be a good record, and people would consult her about important topics covered during those meetings. My brother the electrical engineer…
Peter spent the day at a chess tournament — the biggest he’s participated in yet. He won three games and lost one, and won a trophy for “Under 800” — but the trophy plaque has a curious misprint. Similar:'Dream' casting a family affairAmong actors in Cabaret Theatre’s upcomi…CultureDress rehearsal for The Nutcracker.AestheticsMy 10yo Launches a…
I already have some handouts on writing titles for web pages and writing titles for college papers. I don’t (at the moment) have a full handout on writing headlines for news stories. In this age of clickbait (“Clickbait Tactics Drive the Writing of Headlines on ABC News,” 2015), revisiting Poynter’s advice on writing traditional news…
Similar:On this date in 1999 I first added a date to the list of web links I had been curating. (T…On this date in 1999, I first dated an e…CybercultureDean Jones Dead: Disney Actor Was 84″The Love Bug” was one of the movies tha…Current_EventsThe other day I did a socialize with some of my Humanities…
This is a challenging writing task. Presidential biographies are a staple of children’s book publishing, and of classrooms across the country. Nonfiction for children is a surging category, particularly in light of a Common Core mandate that schools put greater emphasis on it in their curriculum. Publishers like Penguin Young Readers, Scholastic and Time for…
All of us with Facebook accounts do work for Mark Zuckerberg. Our tagging, sharing, and liking gives Facebook valuable information that advertisers use to reach us. This article describes how Facebook has been courting news organizations, asking them to provide content tailored to Facebook’s needs. Facebook is not interested in an informed, educated public that…
My kids have never seen The Princess Bride. (This is an odd pop culture gap for my 80s-obsessed girl.) Similar:WAOB MisSpelled (final episode airs)The final episode of the fantasy/comedy …AmusingAuthor of 80s classic The Hobbit didn't know game was a hit The Hobbit stood out from the advent…CybercultureIn September 1999 I was blogging about Tom Stoppard,…
A literary work is a powerful tool for simulating what it’s like to inhabit someone else’s life. Not just tolerating difference, or grudgingly giving “the other side” equal time; but generating real empathy for the diversity of humanity. There is no Frigate like a Book To take us Lands away Nor any Coursers like a…
It’s extremely important to understand what a wide range of people are thinking about, and that includes being exposed to influential ideas that I disagree with. I’d rather not hide from an idea that has power, especially if it turns out I can do something about the issue. The headline is a little misleading… there…
NASDAQ.com throws shade via Reuters: Snapchat is popular among people under 30 who enjoy applying bunny faces and vomiting rainbows onto their selfies, but man yon Wall Street are critical of its high valuation, slowing user growth and lack of profitability. Joel Randewich, NASDAQ.com Similar:How One Stupid Tweet Blew Up Justine Sacco’s LifeA PR professional…
Free speech is valuable. It’s dangerous to set the precedent that it’s okay to censor speech as long as you side with the censor and against the position being silenced. A New Jersey school district has suspended a teacher after yearbook photos of two high school students were altered to remove President Donald Trump’s name…
Similar:Ground-nesting Yellowjacket WaspsWhile my 16yo son was mowing the lawn wi…CultureThe girl will be Mrs Lovett in Stage Right's Sweeney Todd at the end of July. #3week #musi…DramaNow I can relax a bit. (But just a bit.)PersonalParadise Blue (so glad to be seeing more live theater lately)PersonalWhich of my colleagues wants attention?AcademiaI really enjoyed powering…
Similar:Yeah natural born creative genius is a cool myth, but have you tried grinding through hour…PersonalThe Big Boy GraveyardOn road trips in my youth, watching the …AmusingGoodby big Android… hello little budget iPhone SE 3rd.I just removed from my syllabus template…AcademiaTARDIS from today's 3D printing class.AestheticsCharming solar system scale installation on Baltimore St. in…
Similar:Video ResumesI’m thinking of asking students in a med…BusinessPa. agency explains why it enacted new 'no force-on-force rule' for Bushy Run, other sitesAttending the re-enactment of the Battle…CultureYork Corpus Christi Play Simulator Screencast (PSim 2.1; D.G. Jerz)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwNv1lx3…AcademiaReal or Fake? (News Game)Real or fake? At a time when the reading…EthicsDepression Dog Successfully Previewed HTML in DIY…
Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope. Best case scenario? A virtual reality game that is either based around Portal or Half-Life, or unites the franchises into one experience. Valve has invested heavily in VR and clearly values the technology as an entertainment phenomenon – the Portal demo for Vive is one of the…
Similar:The choreographer daughter is doing a thing.The choreographer daughter is doing a th…PersonalSon took out trash w/o being asked; daughter wore papercraft tophat to grocery store. Life…I took my daughter to an Alice-in-Wonder…ArtChallenge Accepted.PersonalUnfinished pine and not so ornamented, for the workshops and service areas of my fantasy #…PersonalAnother fun 10 sq cm of…
Similar:Anime Treatment of Star WarsI am not particularly into anime, though…AestheticsThe girl is intrigued by the plot twists in _The Mayor of Casterbridge_.PersonalCreated a new graphic for an existing handout on writing editorials.The “lead editorial” represents the offi…EmpathyServing at Christmas on the Hill 2025PersonalI just looked up the context for the bald guy dropping the…
MTV recently ditched the “Best Actor/Actress” awards in favor of “Best Actor,” which suggests the gender-specific term “actress” is less popular among MTV’s target audience. I added that detail, fixed some broken links, and updated the graphic. See Writing Tips: Gender Neutral Language. Similar:Talked too much during a meeting today.Talked too much during a meeting…
With the money I saved by working on the car (watching a lot of YouTube tutorials) I bought a new midrange zoom, in the hopes I won’t miss shots by swapping lenses. And now my camera bag won’t quite zip shut. #ConspicuousConsumption Similar:The Tribune-Review published a nice preview of Dani Girl.My daughter Carolyn, Matthew Hommel, Vin…DramaThank…
Similar:Oops. I’m going to bed now. I’ll fix it tomorrow.Oops. I’m going to bed now. I’ll fix it …AestheticsQuoth the ramen, "Eat some more!"PersonalWordPress duplicate images driving me crazy I’m using the Atahualpa Theme with WPT…HomeI may have mentioned that I have a daughter who does things. Her next is "To Battle: A Fig…Tickets…