Phllip Lopate writes a good essay on the challenges of writing a celebrity profile. My take: Just as Plato argued that ideal leaders would be so well-balanced that they would not desire to lead (and thus would not have the power-lust that would enable them to rise above their competitors), it follows that ideal celebrity profile writers would be…
“Doctor dragged off United flight was felon who traded prescription drugs for secret gay sex with patient half his age and took them himself – and he needed anger management, was ‘not forthright’ and had control issues, psychiatrist found,” wrote The Daily Mail this week of Dr David Dao, in probably the longest headline ever…
The language in the official United response to the “re-accommodation” incident deserves some analysis . Flight 3411 from Chicago to Louisville was overbooked. After our team looked for volunteers, one customer refused to leave the aircraft voluntarily and law enforcement was asked to come to the gate. We apologize for the overbook situation. If you “refuse…
Slate has a good article about William “Captain Kirk” Shatner’s involvement with a Twitter incident that involved Autism Speaks, the alleged connection between vaccines and autism, and the ready availability of easily Googled but unreliable “information.” Shatner is a celebrity, which means that he has outsized influence. That he would use his platform to lend…
Similar:I have a daughter who does things. If demon curses and buckets of stage blood are your thi…I have a daughter who does things. If de…AmusingPreview of "The Fantasticks" (thanks, Tribune-Review, for covering the arts community)For Luisa, Jerz’s character, “the world …CultureEvery few years, I Google the name of the kid who saw "The Empire…
Similar:Arsenal of Freedom (TNG Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 21)With an A-plot that comments on the Cold…CultureAfter a productive run-through of West Side Story, the girl decided to slide out from unde…AmusingThe Hunted (ST: TNG Rewatch; Season Three, Episode 11) Honorable soldier exiled by the pea…(Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break…EthicsAgain with the chess.I try…
Peter was the lowest-ranked player to enter the tournament, but ended up tied for second place. Similar:‘Broken Age’ ReviewThis will be my self-reward when I finis…CybercultureRenata, Carolyn and Alex in a scene from this weekend's Pippin.CultureWhy The Athletic Wants to Pillage Newspapers – The New York TimesBy the time you finish reading this arti…BusinessFull Bloom…
Similar:Dear students, no need to apologize for anything unless…AwesomeI'm Asking My Students to Be Deliberate about the Word "Novel"In the past few years, I have noticed mo…AcademiaThe Bill That Could Save College Students $1,200 a YearFaculty who need to publish for professi…AcademiaEnglish Teacher Re-Titles Classic Poems As Clickbait In Last-Ditch Effort To Trick Student…Funny and…
This short film reminds us why art matters. Spend 8 minutes watching it. Two heart-wrenching twists, at 5:26 and 5;48 (and the story continues during the closing credits). Similar:I know that look.This was my 9yo today. She doesn’…AmusingUkraine’s Three-to-One AdvantageThe author notes that he can’t confirm w…CultureHooded faculty and staff are loaded into the launch…
A letter, published a few weeks ago, in which the inventor of the World Wide Web discusses personal security, fake news, and political transparency. Today marks 28 years since I submitted my original proposal for the world wide web. I imagined the web as an open platform that would allow everyone, everywhere to share information,…
Similar:Vibing to a park saxophonist as I code for an upcoming conference presentation, and wait t…Vibing to a park saxophonist as I code f…PersonalThe Myth of North America, in One PaintingFascinating art history — a thoughtful …AestheticsVandal scratches Poe phrase into car at dealershipLanguage nerds will appreciate this news…AmusingBob Dylan's Nobel Prize Acceptance Speechhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TlcPRla…CultureOverview of…
Facebook wants you to spend more time on Facebook, so why should they promote links pointing to content that exists outside of Facebook? Facebook’s approach to content control means that communities that use Facebook have to play by Facebook’s rules. Users have limited ability to communicate with Facebook’s administrators when there’s a problem, as we’ve seen…
I am definitely on team revise-to-avoid-using-“they”-as-a-singular-pronoun, but the 2017 edition of the AP Stylebook (the industry standard writing guide for journalists) acknowledges the limited use of “they” as a singular pronoun. As always, the goal is clarity, not rigid adherence to a rule. They/them/their is acceptable in limited cases as a singular and-or gender-neutral pronoun, when…
California’s Ed Chau withdrew his proposed legislation that would have criminalized the willing sharing of “a false or deceptive statement designed to influence the vote” on any issue or candidate. (The Electronic Frontier Foundation objected to the bill: “You can’t fight fake news with a bad law.”) The bill would also make it unlawful for…
Similar:Thesis Critique Activity: Another Use of a Class-edited Google DocA few weeks ago, I had students in my up…AcademiaIPads in the classroom: The right way to use them, demonstrated by a Swiss school.The devices are not really valued as por…CybercultureLearn to code? No: Learn a real languageI don’t see learning to code as a substi…CultureEmpathy…
Similar:A spooooooky post about predatory journals for this Halloween season.Predatory publications are not concerned…AcademiaWrite instructions for busy grouches.Updating the graphic for a writing hando…AcademiaI'm nerdy enough to give my 15yo a used copy of "The Hero with a Thousand Faces." I’m nerdy enough to give my 15yo a used …BooksReal or Fake? (News Game)Real or…
Similar:Journalism 101: I fixed this meme for you.I can sympathize with the sentiment, but…CultureRequiem for the NewsroomWhen I worked at a radio news station in…CultureMake Video Horizontal Again For confessionals or tapdance routi…AcademiaMy students seem increasingly confused by the difference between journal title vs. article… Sometimes students will submit bibli…AcademiaChatGPT Can't Kill Anything Worth PreservingMany…
Similar:Facebook’s push of “related articles” to users without checking credibility draws fireThe links under your friend’s post got y…CybercultureShould you trust media bias charts? – PoynterTraditional journalism values a focus on…CultureAI is better at writing poems than you’d expect. But that’s fine. Even the most rebellious poets follow …CultureVanessa Otero's Updated Media Bias Chart (Liberal/Mainstream/Conservative;…
Similar:‘A slow-motion disaster’: Journalism museum in talks about possible building saleLast year, SHU did not sponsor a bus tri…BusinessMy schedule every Friday this term. (Payback for teaching a course over Christmas break.) PersonalTransfigurations (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season Three, Episode 25) Injured Humanoid Charm…Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break….MediaChildren of Eden (Stage Right, April 2014)My wife and…
Journey with Seton Hill University teachers who publish novels, stories and poetry. Similar:How hate and misinformation go viral: A case study of a Trump retweetOn Sunday night, President Donald Trump …AcademiaLotteries: America's $70 Billion ShameCan this be true? People spend more mone…BooksBeing a dad-nerd means finding new ways to play.https://youtu.be/-c6IirtwFawAestheticsThe Psychology of Getting More Done…