Portrait of a Ten-Year-Old Girl

This thoughtful article demonstrates how to use colorful details to keep a reader engaged enough to absorb statistics and trends. What could be just an amusing slice of a Canadian girl’s life of carpools, playdates, and self-invention becomes a launching point for social commentary. The author does refer to herself, but deliberately, selectively; to serve…

My son showed me #PacificRim.

My son showed me #PacificRim. Liked the child actress in the flashback. Enjoyed the feuding scientists. The rest? Flashy, soulless CGI. Similar:Magnetic Scrolls Original Games Source Code Recovered!Here we have possibly the only surviving…CybercultureHandshakes Really Do MatterMonday night handshake/eye contact pract…CultureAnother chess tournament with the boy.GamesUltimate Infographic Design Guide + Design Tricks – VenngageThis website…

Conflict Strategies for Nice People

Nothing to do with Christmas… just thinking about the upcoming group projects due in my online J-Term course. I should also probably re-read some Dale Carnegie, which I do every few years. Teams need conflict to function effectively. Conflict allows the team to come to terms with difficult situations, to synthesize diverse perspectives, and to…

What’s wrong with the way I talk?

Wife & daughter competing w each other to imitate brassy actress from Singing in the Rain. “Whaat’s wrong wit’ da way I taawk?” #pleasestop Similar:Kids Turn Bratz into Star Wars Rey DollsSometimes, I catch myself thinking there…AestheticsMy son (black) has captured better pieces, but my brother (white) has a better position. C… PersonalEnjoying some sibling nerdtime…

Merry Christmas 2013

Similar:Details like headlines matter. Journalists should work hard to avoid being misread.If you were this person’s attorney, you’…Current_EventsAxios journalism style delivers traditional news content in scannable formatIn addition to the fact that it’s good n…Current_EventsI am very happy for these folks, who spent 20 or so years tweaking an insanely complex, co… Awesome"Dammit Mom, I'm…

Theory Trading Cards

This set of 21 Theory Trading Cards, published by AltaMira Press, is based upon the online trading cards which have been so popular at David Gauntletts website www.theory.org.uk. Being actual cards, these are two-sided and contain more information; and whereas the online cards were only an official set of 12, for the published version, 21 new…

RT @Historiator: “@dancohen: Finally upgraded to O…

RT @Historiator: “@dancohen: Finally upgraded to OS X 10.9. It feels like a Borges story about OS X 10.8.” @MikeArnzen @DennisJerz Similar:Habits for happiness: tips for looking on the bright side of lifeHabits for happiness: tips for looking o…PersonalJury Duty UpdateI’m a happy, responsible, and no-longer-…GovernmentParallel structure in writing: Use it!These comic panels cover the…

RT @Rhymestyle: First leaked photo from the set of…

RT @Rhymestyle: First leaked photo from the set of Star Wars Episode VII http://t.co/xji8x9J5zL Similar:I asked my geekling whether she was ready for bed…I asked my #geekling whether she was rea…AmusingMy Minecraft-obsessed tween made this blocky foam pig at art camp. Next up: Stage Right summer musical th…AestheticsHello, there, mini.Hello, there, mini. Let’s restore you…

RT @Historiator: Nicely balanced, real-time post m…

RT @Historiator: Nicely balanced, real-time post mortem on last night’s Twitter event. @DennisJerz @PhilKomarny @magawelek http://t.co/IwQ0… Similar:I'm no longer surprised, but still want to document.This is really noteworthy. Today the Pre…Current_EventsRT @JordanFor: One of the counters from the Civil…RT @JordanFor: One of the counters from …TweetsMy Minecraft-obsessed tween made this blocky foam pig at art…

RT @PhilKomarny: @Historiator @DennisJerz @magawel…

RT @PhilKomarny: @Historiator @DennisJerz @magawelek Glad that it ended with some donations to @AidforAfrica justinesacco.com Similar:She doesn't have keys or a phone or an ID. Why does my tween need a purse?To stash her Lemonheads and Smarties. ht…AmusingOverheard at Quora: "Why after all these years is Moodle still so ugly?"Moodle is a free course-management tool…

A Word About Group Projects

Okay, students… who loves group projects! Let’s hear it for group projects! (Crickets… crickets…) Okay employers… who puts “Ability to work in a team” at the top of a Forbes Magazine list of 10 skills employers say they seek in new hires? Employers: (cheering wildly) We do! We do! Here are the 10 skills employers say they seek,…

Why NORAD Tracks Santa

The call had come in on one of the top secret lines inside CONAD that only rang in the case of a crisis. Grabbing the phone, Shoup must have expected the worst. Instead, a tiny voice asked, “Is this Santa Claus?” “Dads pretty annoyed,” said Terri Van Keuren, Shoups daughter, recalling the legend of that…

I Made a Cheerful Maze Game in Scratch

Well, it’s cheerful unless you touch something red AND DIE. Similar:The Alot is Better Than You at EverythingThere is no Englilsh word “alot.” That i…AmusingThe First Programmer Was a LadyOver a hundred years before a monstrous …CybercultureWhy We Dug AtariGame collectors have their story, too. F…CybercultureYes, I spent the last hour designing this brutalist pen…

I made a cheerful maze game in Scratch. It’s cheer…

I made a cheerful maze game in Scratch. It’s cheerful unless you touch something read AND DIE. scratch.mit.edu/projects/14908… made w/ Scratch Similar:Overheard at Quora: "Why after all these years is Moodle still so ugly?"Moodle is a free course-management tool …AcademiaHabits for happiness: tips for looking on the bright side of lifeHabits for happiness: tips for…

RT @Historiator: Please note @PhilKomarny @magawel…

RT @Historiator: Please note @PhilKomarny @magawelek @VissatMaureen “@HistoricalPics: All this technology is making us antisocial. http://t… Similar:Parallel structure in writing: Use it!These comic panels cover the issue well….HumanitiesProto iPads and Paper Coexist in Classic Star TrekRewatching the classic Trek episode “The…CybercultureMaybe I'll just delete these QUARTER OF A MILLION spam comments.Not kidding — 254,460 spam…

Nerd-buddies

“He likes Lord of the Rings, Star Wars *and* Star Trek!!” — my nerdling daughter, eyes shining, about a new friend. Similar:Populating my simulation with a crowd. Tweaking and experimenting. #unity3d #medievalyork …PersonalJustin Bieber and the Beatles: They both liked to rhyme the same words.A good example of a computer-native, dat…CultureJane Eyre and the Invention…