As I gear up to teach about memes and fake news in a “Media Aesthetics” class, I am keeping track of good background articles so I can bring my students up to speed. Satire, like fake news, creates a sense of community through rejection. It delights in tearing down institutions but is useless at constructing…
You may have seen a version of this meme floating around. I don’t know the source of the original, but just now I came across an adaptation by Haplo Schaffer: I like it, but I had some thoughts of my own. Hah! And showing that Haplo is an open-minded good sport about this whole…
As the faculty advisor to a college journalism program, I am very interested in the relationship between professional journalists and the president-elect. A free press is a cornerstone of democracy. The GOP played the electoral college game better than the DNC, such that Clinton’s popular vote did not match the electoral college outcome. Media pundits who…
Similar:Fatal Encounters: One man is tracking every officer-involved killing in the U.S.Most cops don’t kill the people they’re …CultureWhy I Rarely Blog about My Home Building ProjectsWe’re kind of in the eye of the storm, b…ModdingNarnia Lesson Plans: Activities Related to the Musical (based on The Lion, the Witch and t…I just posted the latest…
Conservative talk radio predates the Internet as a populist alternative to the mainstream media. This article challenges the idea that “fake news” is a new, or even a significant problem, and instead explores how some celebrity conservatives (including radio host Rush Limbaugh) encourage their followers to mistrust traditional news outlets. Fake news has been around as…
Similar:Just a #steampunk captain inspecting the æther power orbs. #Blender3D #Unity3D #design #ae…AestheticsContagion (ST:TNG Rewatch, Season 2, Episode 11)Picard faces aggressive Romulans and an …DesignAnother 40sq cm chunk of a #steampunk control panel. I'll do three more variations followi…AestheticsPlaying video games linked to breast-feeding, not crimeGreat piece from Ben Kuchera at Ars Tech…AmusingDid you see…
In the classic stop-action TV special “The Year Without a Santa Claus” (1974), newspaper headlines provide exposition and offer a low-budget way to depict widespread reaction to the events of the plot. Newspapers also introduce a plot hole that’s bothered me ever since I was a kid. When I watched the show again this year,…
In the poem “Imma Let You Integrate Quotations!” by Melvin Middleschool-Writer, it talks about a writing style that wastes words. “Those long quotations, dropping awkward into the essay / Hijack your thoughts / Like a Kanye who graciously accepts a microphone from Taylor Swift  / So he can confidently mansplain it all.” This quote means that students who interrupt their…
Similar:Pict Classic Theatre Romeo and Juliet. PersonalMy son, volunteering at the local food bank.Personal‘People are rooting for the whale’: the strange American tradition of Moby-Dick reading ma…When I went off to college to be an Engl…AcademiaComing of Age (TNG Rewatch: Season 1, Episode 18)Rewatching ST:TNG A character-heavy e…MediaPreppers for the win. Kinda.The euphoria of getting my…
Similar:Medea at Seton Hill University.CultureChecking out of @frontporchtheatricals Grand Hotel. What an experience!My brother had already planned to visit …AestheticsSkin of Evil (TNG Rewatch, Season 1 Episode 23)My rewatch reflection on the Star Trek:T…DesignMany things in the world are awful right now but my latest section of a #neovictorian them…AestheticsWhen it comes to the truth,…
The Washington Post, which was one of about a dozen news outlets that Trump banned from his campaign events for a few months this summer, has released a Chrome browser plugin that adds Post-sponsored commentary into Trump’s Twitter feed. Sometimes the Post says the commentary will simply add context, but they are announcing it as…
Similar:The Evolution of 'Star Trek'(Infographic) | Space.comThe first 45 years of Star Trek (in an a…DesignTin Man (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season Three, Episode 20) Sad telepath bonds with starshi…Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break….CultureTime’s Arrow, Part 1 (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 5, Episode 26) Data's head in a mine …Rewatching ST:TNG An archaeologist wh…CultureLintels and…
Similar:The only snow alert you'll ever need.AmusingEverything is beautiful at the ballet.DanceTom Wayman's FAQ on "Did I Miss Anything?"I’ve long been a fan of Tom Wayman’s poe…AcademiaFriday night board game therapy. #startrek #monopolyPersonalI am at that stage of life where I am excited about loading a new dishwasher for the first…PersonalAbove the Forward Ops conference…
My family and I are in the voice cast of the short audio play, “Christmas Letters.” Similar:Advising incoming majors.AcademiaProfessoring. With an(other) apple pie cupcake.I touched up and board-ified a presentat…AcademiaYes, I do feel rather awesome right now.Lost brand-new earbuds. Reached in pocke…PersonalI actually don't mind Canvas — it just happens to be the course management…
Update, June 2020: See Vanessa Otero Ad Fontes Media Updated Media Bias Chart –6.0 Vanessa Otero created an impressive chart that visualizes the problem with a simplistic “real news / fake news” dichotomy. News that skews left or right can still be valuable, and news that scrupulously avoids bias can still be vacuous clickbait. While…
So Khan Academy now has a grammar unit. Similar:The barbican at Mickelgate was pulled down in the 1800s but I made a rough approximation f…The barbican at Mickelgate was pulled do…PersonalYes, Duolingo is free and I’ve learned a lot. No, I don’t like the psychological manipulat…Yes, Duolingo is free and I’ve learned a…EthicsDowntime with the…
Grades submitted. I’ll reward myself with some fun. Then it’s time to set up for my JTerm course. Similar:The exposition officer needs instant access to a pencil case, logbook and mission-critical…Aesthetics"I might be putting a little too much effort into designing the cravat for the captai…AestheticsI voice the role of Electron Jones in this audio…
Similar:A stranger took this photo of my parents doing their daily crossword together in a cafe.A stranger took this photo of my parents…CultureThis time of year I trust the process. Students are learning why a "yes/no" rese…PersonalI Find Myself in Another Showhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=517BhV1j0…DramaI'm marking them faster than they come in, which is a good thing. I…
Similar:Mars Is a Hellhole: Colonizing the red planet is a ridiculous way to help humanity.Some of Elon Musk’s stunts have caught m…BusinessThe secret life of a public library security guardThis made me think of a college friend w…CultureA pleasant Independence Day photo shoot with the daughter.AestheticsMore Adventures in Suburban AdultingAbout four years ago I bought…
The proliferation of fake and hyperpartisan news that has flooded into Americans’ laptops and living rooms has prompted a national soul-searching, with liberals across the country asking how a nation of millions could be marching to such a suspect drumbeat. But while some Americans may take the stories literally — like the North Carolina man…