English speakers tend to assume that all the important research is published in English. More than half of the non-English papers observed in this study had no English title, abstract or keywords, making them all but invisible to most scientists doing database searches in English. […] This problem is a two-way street Not only does the…
I fixed the clickbaity title for you. A moderately amusing cautionary tale. Recognizing alt-right internet memes is now a marketing survival skill. “We like our tweets the same way we like to make hamburgers,” Wendy’s wrote in its bio. “Better than anyone expects from a fast food joint.” It lived up to those words this…
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:In Ferguson, Washington Post reporter Wesley Lowery gives account of his arrestComedian Robin Williams and actress Laur…CultureTrump Briefly Glanced at Eclipse without Protective GlassesDonald Trump’s persona as a man who does…Current_EventsVenus Flytraps Are Even Creepier Than We ThoughtI clicked for the topic, but it was the …AestheticsEvery conversation between a parent and a child, in…
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:The Dish (2000 Australian comedy)I try to watch this every July to commem…CultureHanging with the rude mechanicals @setonhilluniversityA Midsummer Night’s Dream.CultureIffy "Cloak of Darkness" on Inform7/Parchment”Iffy Cloak of Darkness” is based on the…CybercultureUp the Long Ladder (ST:TNG Rewatch, Season Two, Episode 18) — The Enterprise Visits the Pl…(Rewatching Star Trek: TNG after a 20-ye…EthicsThe Rise…
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:My daughter found where all the missing pens and pencils end upAmusingThis morning I awoke to YouTube’s live footage of crowds circling a mosque in Mecca. For m… CultureAnother section of a #steampunk control panel, made in #blender3d for a personal project. …AestheticsI played Pseudolus freshman year in college. Haven't seen the show in a…
Similar:We are all of us works in progress. Sometimes progress looks messy.PersonalMinneapolis protest cleanup: Did you share this meme without fact-checking it? (Don’t spre… A Facebook meme with 52k reactions a…CultureI have a daughter who does things. Here’s what she’ll be starting on next week. @frontporc…I have a daughter who does things. Here’…CultureLet's talk about…
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 Course of True Fun Never Did Run Smooth: A Midsummer Night's Dwarf Fortress ReflectionI am in rehearsals to play Oberon in a c…CultureThis winter I changed my weekday alarm tone to chirping birds. This winter I changed my weekday ala…AestheticsCrazy, Kinetic, Acoustic Visit to the Carnegie Science CenterA few days ago, I blogged about…
Similar:Charlie Brown has his kite-eating tree. I have my keys-eating chair. #foundthem PersonalApple Hill Playhouse is closing, leaving theater group seeking new homeConfiguring socially distanced seating a…BusinessAnother day, another 10 square centimeters of #steampunk control panel. #blender3d #blende…AestheticsThe Sacramentality of Teaching and LearningFor the one-credit journalism class that…AcademiaI just bought Diamond City.GamesMy student journos are meming…
My family and I are in the voice cast of the short audio play, “Christmas Letters.” Similar:And if my point of view is somewhat misty-eyed…And if my point of view is somewhat mist…AestheticsStudents present their research for the Celebration of Writing @setonhilluniversityPersonalWork-Life Balance, from 11(!) Years AgoI think I’m managing work-life balance p…AcademiaMore #blender3d #steampunk…
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:First steps towards reconstructing a 30-year-old simulation. Marking the locations of the …First steps towards reconstructing a 30-…AestheticsMy big brother and my son facing off at chess. I am outclassed! GamesHappily masked in center row C. (The daughter is dance captain.)DramaIf I don’t design the sign for…
Grades submitted. I’ll reward myself with some fun. Then it’s time to set up for my JTerm course. Similar:On Her One Free Day Between Two Shows…[View the story “On Her One Free Day Bet…DesignI just caught myself thinking, “This doesn’t suck.” #medievalyork #mysteryplay #blender3d …I just caught myself thinking, “This doe…AestheticsStar Trek: The MenagerieJust finished…
Similar:Another 10 sq cm of #steampunk control panel. #blender3d #blender3dartAestheticsSimulated iceberg, preserved artifacts and re-creations at the Titanic installation. …CultureUnmarked assignments in my queue: 0This app, which sports a little red noti…AcademiaLet's talk about books, old sport.BooksAnd again I ush.PersonalI voice the role of Electron Jones in this audio detective series. The first episode was…